A Vampire's Kiss
by Anaghia-san
Summary: An angel. A vampire. A blessing. A curse. What happens when the two collide? Another SasuHina from yours truely. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N: Hey guys, here's my new story, A Vampire's Kiss. I hope you like it.)_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters, and probably never will, unless… heh heh, never mind, on with the story! =)**

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A winter in the Village Hidden in the Leaves wasn't too bad, not as bad as the blizzards in the Village of Snow, anyway. There were a few snow flakes here and there, but they hadn't stuck to the ground so far.

Inside, Hinata Hyuuga was gazing out of her bedroom window, praying that it would snow on her upcoming birthday. She wanted to catch snow flakes on her tongue, build snowmen, make snow angels… All of this hadn't happened since she was little, before her sister was born. The records for all of the past winters in the village stated that it was supposed to snow a good amount about 8 years afterward. It had been 10 years since then.

Hinata started to daydream about the snow from when she was four years old. She remembered laughing at her mother, who had thrown a snowball at her father. Now, she would expect her father to become angry if she even thought about throwing a snowball, let alone throwing one at him, but back then he had laughed along with them. She missed her mother. She had always accomplished the impossible and made her father fun to be around. Without her he was as stern as ever. He always wanted her to be training or studying her school work.

She sighed and stepped into the middle of her room. She closed her eyes, conjured up that memory, which was her happiest memory by far, and concentrated on it. She felt a wave of warmth come over her as her angelic wings sprouted from her back.

She stood, looking into her dresser mirror. The beautiful wings amazed her every time they appeared, even though she had seen them since she was eight years old. She examined her beautiful white wings in the mirror, thinking of her mother.

"Hinata," her father popped his head into her room. "You should be studying. Save your energy and get to it. I don't want to see any grades drop."

"Yes, Father."

He left her alone again. Hinata looked out of the window again, stroking her soft wings as she looked up at the full moon. She wished he would call her his little angel… like he used to…

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A/N: Awww…. Poor Hinata… T.T What'll happen next? Look out for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N: Here's Chapter 2 of A Vampire's Kiss! Enjoy!)_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters…**

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Hinata walked through the busy streets with her hands in her pockets. She shivered as a strong wind blew through the village.

Normally, she walked to school with her friends Sakura and Tenten. But that day, Sakura had had a special class with Lady Tsundae, their principal, in an exercise in healing, and Tenten had caught a cold and was too sick to come to school. She sighed. "_Are you guys still going to come to the ramen dinner party tonight?_" she had asked them the night before on a three-way phone call.

"_I'll be there,_" Sakura said.

"_Ditto,_" Tenten agreed.

She slowly walked up the stairs of her school, Hokage High. She passed familiar faces in the hall, as she did every morning, but said nothing. She was usually talking to her friends as they entered school, but she didn't have anyone to talk with.

As she silently made her way to her locker, she looked up and saw Sasuke Uchiha, looking annoyed as girls fussed over him. "Sasuke, you look a little flustered, do you have a cold???" and "Sasuke, I LOVE that shirt you're wearing. Look, we're matching!" and even "Sasuke, your eyes are so beautiful!" If all of this annoyed Hinata, she could only imagine what it was like for Sasuke.

She went into her locker and collected all of her books for her first few classes. She couldn't help but look at the picture of her, her father, and her mother taped up on the door of her locker. It was one of the few that she had. Her father had gotten rid of most of them, to 'keep Hanabi from asking,' he had said. But she had seen him one day, while he was in the living room, crying over a small scrapbook that they had all made together. It contained many of the happiest moments in Hinata's life. When she saw that he was about to throw it away, she was just about to be heart broken, when he paused. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. "Hinata," he said.

She jumped a little. "Y-yes?"

He quietly handed her the scrapbook. "Your mother wanted you to have this."

She had looked at it every night since then. Each page and every picture was memorized in her mind; the way her mother looked when Hinata had caught her by surprise with the camera, how peaceful and happy the younger version of herself looked, how much her father looked like he loved both of them…

Just thinking about the scrapbook's contents that were lying on her dresser at home were enough to make her eyes water. _Mom_, she though sadly.

"Hey."

She jumped and hit her head on the ceiling of her locker. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she looked to see who had spoken to her. Sasuke was leaning against the locker next to hers, watching her. She blushed. "Hi," she said, embarrassed.

Some of the girls started complaining to each other about Sasuke giving her attention despite their obvious attempts, while others just glared at her.

"Are you going to the dinner tonight?" he asked me, causing the mouths of his fangirls to drop.

The color of Hinata's face darkened. "Y-yes…" she paused, "I'm going with Sakura and Tenten." She could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, but his unreadable expression remained. "Are you going?"

He shrugged. "I've got nothing else better to do."

The ball rang, and everyone started to scatter. "So I guess I'll see you then?"

"Hn…" And he left.

***

Hinata would never understand fangirls. Since that morning, they had annoyed her to no beyond. They threw wads of paper at her during class, followed her around asking her "What are you to him?" or "What is he to you?", and they had even tripped her in the hall, sticking a leg out so that she dropped all of her books when she fell. But the worst thing was that whenever Sasuke came around, they paid attention to him as if that morning had never happened and everything was fine. As soon as he left, their eyes were daggers once more.

Hinata was glad when the school day ended. As long as those girls weren't planning to jump her or anything afterwards, she'd be safer at home.

She walked home wondering what she should wear to the dinner. It was casual, and she didn't want to be either overdressed or underdressed. _Let's see,_ she thought, mentally going through her wardrobe, _my new blue dress is too classy, so that's out. A pair of Capri pants would be great if it weren't so cold, so I'll have to wear some jeans. But which top? Just about all of them can go with my jeans, but which one's best?_

Hinata was glad that she had a few hours before the dinner, she was going to need them.

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A/N: Hope you're liking my story so far! I'll update as much as possible before Christmas vacation ends!


	3. Chapter 3

_(A/N: Hiya guys! Anaghia here with the next chapter of A Vampire's Kiss. Go forth and enjoy!)_

**Disclaimer: Although I've said it before, I'll say it yet again, I do not own Naruto or it's characters, I just wish I did… Enough of my babble, onto the story!**

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As soon as Hinata got home, she went straight upstairs to her room, dropped her book bag after she closed the door, and set straight to work.

She started browsing through her closet, setting aside all of her best tops that could go with the jeans that were lying on her bed among the reject outfits she had gone through the nights before. _This one, and this one is nice too,_ she thought as she tossed her choices onto her bed across the room.

Once she finished picking them out, it was then time to sought out the best of the best by trying each one on. Hinata took off her school clothes and put on her pair of jeans along with the first of many tops. It was round-necked midnight blue shirt with the words "Everyone's Lil' Angel" on it along with a cute little angel decal. She liked it, but even though her father was the one who had gotten it for her on one odd day, she didn't think he'd let her out of the house with it on. She often used it as a pajama top on hot summer nights, but she never wore it outside, in fear that her father would say something.

She took off the top and pulled on another one over her head. This one was a small t-shirt that was a swirl of light purple, pink, and baby blue, all of her top three favorite colors. She sighed as she saw how small it had gotten since she got it. It was short enough to show of her belly button, and she didn't like it. It seemed too… relaxed for a dinner with her friends. Not to mention that since the dinner was going to be at school, teachers would be hovering everywhere, and perhaps the principal if she decided to come this year.

_This is harder than I thought it would be, _she thought. Hinata thought about calling her sister in to get some second opinions, but this was the time she was supposed to be studying. If Hanabi came in, she might let it slip to their father that Hinata was trying to find an outfit instead of studying. _That's where the trouble lies_, she thought sadly. She pulled the second top off, threw it into the reject pile that was growing on her bed, and continued.

***

After an hour and a half, Hinata finally decided on a suitable top for the school's ramen dinner. She gazed at herself in her mirror, trying to examine how she looked from every possible view she could think of. The top she had chosen was a crisp white blouse with frilly bell-like cuffs. It looked perfect.

She looked at the clock on the dresser. It was 6:05. She still had about an hour to kill before she was to meet Sakura and Tenten at the school gates. Hinata didn't feel like leaving her room until then though. Despite the huge pile of clothes on her bed, she settled down for a nap. _Going through your closet can wear a person out_, she thought as she slowly drifted to sleep…

***

_Hinata was floating in a strange place; a sea of darkness it looked like. In every direction it was dark. No light at all. She wondered if there was ground below her and decided to test it to see if there was. She took off one of her bracelets on her wrist and dropped it, watching it carefully as it fell._

_To her surprise, there was no ground below her. Instead, it was water. Her bracelet broke through the glassy surface, causing the ripples that helped her to see that there was a sky that was separate from the water. It was just to dark to see._

_Suddenly, she noticed that there were ripples in the water that were coming from another direction. Her instincts kicked in and she decided to follow it to the source. _

_What she saw next transfixed her. She saw a figure hovering over the water just as she was, but despite the long dark cloak he was wearing, he seemed more graceful than Hinata thought she could ever be. There was a thin red line that looked like a ribbon twirling around the mysterious person. _

_She couldn't help but notice that the person was barefoot, and their back was turned to her. She was about to ask who they were when she saw a drop of liquid drop into the dark water by his feet. She thought nothing of it at first, but then she saw the water below his feet start to turn red-- blood red. _

_The whole sea started to turn red from that little drop of what she assumed to be blood. Was this some sort of act of pollution or something? She started to say something to this strange person when they turned around, just enough to look over their shoulder. It was a man, she could tell, and he seemed so familiar. Hinata couldn't place him. His eyes were closed, as if he were ignoring her. But that wasn't why she was spellbound by fear._

_She could see the red liquid clinging to his lips, and it was dripping down his chin, causing more tiny droplets to fall into the water below. Hinata froze. _He's a….a…_, Hinata thought to herself, but she couldn't bring herself to finish. _

_Just then, the man opened his eyes. They were glowing a reddish color, almost the same color as the blood, but somehow darker. The eyes sent a shock through her body, forcing her to wake up._

***

Hinata panted as she woke up, the word she was trying to say but couldn't on her breath. "Vampire…" she said.

She looked at the clock, not making her breathe any easier. 6:58! She was going to be late if she didn't hurry! Trying to push the dream (or nightmare) out of her mind, she quickly grabbed her purse and left her room, feeling as though those eyes were still watching her.

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A/N: Ooooo, what was with that dream? Find out next time! Happy (Almost) New Year guys!


	4. Chapter 4

_(A/N: Hi people! And Happy New Year all around! Here's my present to kick off the new year for all to enjoy!)_

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto or it's characters! Enjoy =)**

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Hinata power walked up the street, taking care to look out for ice on the sidewalk that she could slip on. She couldn't help but wonder if her friends were going to come to the ramen dinner. They were loyal, and she believed they'd at least try to keep their word. But Tenten had sounded so sick when she said she'd come, and Hinata knew how tired Sakura usually was after a day with Lady Tsunade.

She also couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke really was going to show up there as well. The school had these ramen dinners a few times every school year, but he didn't come to the other ones before this. Naturally, everyone knew that Naruto would come because ramen was involved, and Hinata thought he'd probably come to mess with Naruto for the fun of it. She just hoped the fangirls would stay away if he did.

As she arrived at the school gates, she saw that neither of her friends was there. She sighed and pulled out her phone. Where r u?, She texted both of her friends. She waited for their replies.

After five minutes, she got Tenten's reply. It read: Sry Hinata, this cold is still clinging to me nd my mom wont let me out of the house! Nxt time, k?

Two minutes after that she received Sakura's message: Hi Hinata. Sry tht I cant make it. Lady Tsunade was way too intense today! I'm surprised tht I'm not dead! I'm too tired 2 make it, I've barely got enough energy 2 give u this messa--

Hinata wished that her two friends could come to the dinner, but they had already gone with her to the one prior to this one, so it was only fair that they get a day off, right? Oh, thts too bad, she texted them back, well, I'll cya later thn. Bye.

Hinata walked slowly through the gates and made her way to the school auditorium. Without her friends, who could she talk to? She was a shy girl, but she knew some people. It'd be almost impossible to talk to Naruto when he would be eating ramen. Ino was a fangirl of Sasuke, so Hinata couldn't talk to her. Maybe she could talk to Kiba. But as she looked around the room, he was nowhere in sight. She had just seen him a second ago. Where was he?

"RAWR!!!!"

"Gahhh!!!"

Hinata jumped away from whoever was trying to get her from behind and shrieked, causing everyone in the room to look at her. She turned to look behind her to see none other than Kiba rolling on the floor, laughing as if there were no tomorrow.

"Oh my God, Hinata!" Kiba managed to say between breaths, "You should have seen the way you looked! It was priceless!"

Hinata tried to regain composure and laughed along with the few others that were laughing too, but inside she was so embarrassed. How could she have not known Kiba was going to do something like this?

Kiba slowly rose from the floor, gripping his side. He was breathless. "Ow, oh, cramp…" he sputtered.

Despite her embarrassment, Hinata smiled. _Guys will be guys, and Kiba will be Kiba,_ she thought. Kiba walked forward with open arms. "No hard feelings, right?"

Hinata hugged him with a snake-like grip, making him groan in pain. "Yeah, no hard feelings," she said, releasing Kiba and allowing him to breathe again.

"So, where's Tenten and Sakura?" he asked as they went over to the table that was filled with food and drinks.

Hinata picked up a ready made bowl of ramen and a pair of chopsticks. "They're both spending the evening at home. Sakura's too tired from her weekly healing lesson, and Tenten's got a terrible cold."

"Oh, that's too bad." Kiba said as they sat at a table together opposite each other. "So it looks like it's just you and me then, huh?" He grinned as he put a few strands of noodles into his mouth.

"I guess so," Hinata smiled.

As they started eating and talking about trivial things, Hinata gazed around the room. The auditorium had been transformed. There were balloons tied to the tables and to a few chairs that were set aside. The lights were dimmer than they were usually, and there were mini lights that were wrapped around the pillars in the room. Each table was round with white cloths covering them and had a small glass vase of flowers. When Hinata looked over on the other side of the room, that's when her gaze landed on Sasuke.

For a second, she thought that he was staring at her, but when she saw him shift his gaze and start to scoop up some ramen, she believed she must have imagined it. She focused her attention back on Kiba as he started talking about he had snuck Akumaru in with him. He lifted up part of his jacket and his pet and friend could be seen.

"I know he's your friend, and he's really cute, but you'll get into trouble!" Hinata said as Kiba fed him some noodles.

"Oh, but he'll be good. He's been here all this time and even you didn't notice him."

"True, but still--"

"Hey."

We looked up and saw Sasuke standing over us, and it was to me he had spoken to. "Uchiha…" muttered Kiba while Akumaru quietly growled.

Sasuke glared at him. "Inuzuka."

"Um… Did you need something, Sasuke?" Hinata asked, trying to direct his attention away from the dagger-eyed Kiba.

Sasuke turned back to her. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you." He threw a dissatisfied look at Kiba. "Alone."

"O-ok." Hinata got up, leaving her purse and ramen with Kiba. "I'll be back in a minute." She told him as if to reassure him.

"'Kay." He said as he and a few fangirls who had caught sight of them watched them walk away from the table and out the door.

They walked down the hall in silence. Hinata wondered what Sasuke could want to talk to her alone about. It must be important since he approached her when Kiba was around, the one that he usually avoided on a regular basis.

"So," Sasuke started as he opened the door to outside for her, "how're things going?"

"Good, I suppose," she said as they stepped out into the chilly weather. Hinata had assumed that they were only going to be outside for few minutes so she didn't bother putting on her coat. "How about you?"

Sasuke leaned against the building. "Ok, I guess. My brother's annoying the hell out of me, those crazy girls won't leave me alone, and we've got finals next week-- yeah, everything's great." His grin was brimming with sarcasm.

Hinata laughed. "Yeah, those fangirls can be pretty… persistent."

"No kidding." He sighed. "They've been messing with you since I approached you this morning, haven't they." Hinata could hear the frown in his voice.

"I-it's nothing," she stuttered. _How did he even know?_ "It's nothing I can't handle. Besides, it'll blow over soon, right?"

Sasuke chuckled quietly. "Are you kidding? Those girls know how to hold a grudge, even for something as small as that."

Hinata groaned. "Well, I guess my life just went from good to not so good in just a matter of minutes."

"Sorry." Just then Sasuke got a thoughtful look. "Maybe I could help you."

Hinata looked at him. "Huh? Do what?"

"Keeping them from annoying you."

Hinata was amazed. _Why would _the_ Sasuke Uchiha want to help me?_ Then a thought occurred to her. "Is there some sort of catch?"

He looked up at her, looking hurt. "Does there have to be one?"

"Maybe. It's a rare case when someone offers to take on their own crazy fan club." Hinata smiled knowingly.

He straightened from his relaxed pose. "You know me better than I thought." He smiled sheepishly. "Actually, there is something that I'd like in return."

Hinata was stumped by what he could want from her. And, apparently, it showed on her face because Sasuke started laughing. "W-what?" Hinata blushed from her clearly shown confusion.

His expression suddenly became serious, which surprised her. He moved closer, looking into her eyes, and whispered, "I want _you_."

Hinata's mind was bouncing all over the place. _How could he want _me?_ Won't that make the situation with those crazy fangirls worse? Is this a dream?_ Her body, however, was numb. She could neither speak, nor move as Sasuke drew closer. She did manage to blush though.

"Hinata…" As he drew nearer, she couldn't do anything but close her eyes, awaiting the kiss. But after a few seconds, she opened them again to see if he was hesitating. She saw that instead of kissing her, he was veering off to the left towards her neck.

_Is he already trying to go that far?, _she thought fearfully. "S-Sasuke-kun…"

Just as she felt his lips brush up against her neck, he paused. "Don't _ever_ call me that." That's when she felt pressure on her neck. There was no pain, just a lot of pressure.

It took her a minute to register what was happening to her. Those entrancing eyes. The numbness. The pressure on her neck. The warm liquid that was beginning to roll down it.

_Vampire…_

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A/N: Ooooo… The lesson in this chapter is _never_ go somewhere alone with a vampire! LOL. Stick around for the next chapter, which will be up soon (hopefully) =). And a big thanks to my reviewers, you guys are awesome!


	5. Chapter 5

_(A/N: Hi people! Did I raise the hair on the back of your necks because of the last chapter? If not, well, I'll do my best to at least get ya sitting on the edge of your seats. Without further ado, here's Chapter 5!!)_

**Disclaimer: This is the ado that's keeping me from starting… I don't own Naruto or it's characters, ok? Alright, **_**now**_** without further ado, Chapter 5! Enjoy!! =)**

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Hinata stood there next to the school with Sasuke, her heart pumping fast. _Was this what my dream was telling me about?,_ Hinata wondered, _But if so, why don't I feel the same way I did when I woke up?_

There was an absence of fear in her for some reason. Here she was, being bitten by a vampire, but she felt… fine. Without the numbness, she'd have been ok about it. Just as long as she got some answers.

After she saw that he had stopped biting her (saw, not felt), she felt drained of so much energy that she felt as though it would take a week of sleep to regain it. Hinata started to fall over, but Sasuke caught her. He silently carried her over to the school's wall and sat down, leaning against while cradling Hinata in his lap.

He stared at her calm, delicate expression, and then finally broke the silence. "What, no scream?" He asked, a smiling pulling at his lips.

Slowly but surely, Hinata began to feel like herself again. His considerate yet questionable comfort was helping. She raised a hand to touch her neck. It was wet and sticky with her blood. She was also sure that her blouse was ruined without even looking.

"I guess I owe you an explanation?" Hinata noticed that Sasuke had asked it as a question, as though she was welcome to not accept it and leave.

"I-it'd be nice." She said carefully.

Sasuke smiled. "Now, where do I begin…" he said, absentmindedly looking up at the sky. Then he looked back down at Hinata. "Oh yes. I love you."

Hinata blushed scarlet, making Sasuke laugh. _Oh my God,_ Hinata thought, _Sasuke loves _ME?? _This is… is…. Impossible! But if it's true, then this is the happiest day of my--_

Without warning or being able to draw back her emotions and thoughts, Hinata felt the warmth start to surround her, making her eyes widen. _Oh no!_

Her beautiful wings appeared, and the two were surrounded in warmth. Hinata didn't know what to do. Her secret had been revealed. The secret that her family had tried to protect. The gift that her mother had left her to handle on her own…

Shockingly, Sasuke hugged her. "My little angel…" he muttered in her ear.

This made Hinata start to cry, hearing the name that she had longed to be called. _Is this real?,_ she wondered just as it began to snow.

He tried to console her by rocking her and wiping the tears from her face. "What's wrong?" asked Sasuke.

"I-it's just that…" Hinata sniffed. "That's what my father used to call me before-" she hiccupped.

Sasuke frowned with sympathy. "I see."

***

It seemed like forever before Hinata stopped crying. Her mind had left the dinner after they'd come outside. But after the crying stopped, she was even more curious about Sasuke than ever.

"Sasuke-kun-" Hinata started, but Sasuke interrupted.

"_Please_," he said with a frown, "don't call me that. It's the name the fangirls gave me, and I absolutely can't stand it. It really pisses me off."

"Sorry…" Hinata apologized, and then began again. "Sasuke, you are a vampire, right?"

"As much as you are an angel." He smiled.

"So… am I going to… become one as well?"

Sasuke's smiled faltered, but remained. "No. The thing is," he looked up at the sky again, "whenever we bite holy creatures or our own kind, it does not effect them. Not much, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Well, whenever we bite a human or an animal, we create a special link. A link that neither vampires nor the human/animal can handle. After the bite, the human becomes almost inseparable. They feel that they must keep coming back until the day they die." Sasuke grimaced. "And it can get pretty annoying for the vampire. We don't want to drink just one person's blood. We like variety too, you know." He smiled again.

"How do you break the bond?" asked Hinata.

Sasuke's grim look returned. "There's only one way that we know how to break it. That way is to kill them."

Hinata gasped.

"Of course, we try to avoid that if possible," he paused, "at least _I_ try to. Most other vampire's don't even bother restraining themselves. It's that kind of behavior that gives us our bad reputation. But if it does come to drinking blood from a human," he hesitated, "then we have to kill them point blank, either drinking the blood until it runs out or letting them bleed to death."

Hinata shivered. She almost regretted asking when a thought occurred to her, even though she was worried about the answer. "Sasuke?" She allowed him to come out of his somber state before continuing. "What happens if you drink an angel's blood?"

Sasuke's expression was unreadable as he answered. "Vampire's cannot stain the blood of a holy creature, although the vampire can gain spiritual powers from it. That's why… it's illegal for us to do so."

"You mean you just broke that law even though it was only for a minute?" Hinata asked, worried that Sasuke would get into trouble because of her.

"Yes," he frowned at the sky. "drinking the blood of holy creature upsets the balance of things. Strange things can happen. Time can stop. Creatures from the past could appear in the city. People may disappear… there's a bunch of signs, and that's why, even for a vampire like myself, it's hard not to get caught."

"How come nothing has happened yet?" Hinata wondered aloud.

Sasuke looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure actually. Maybe it takes time before it backlashes." He looked at her with worry. "All I know is that it's been a long time since this sort of thing has happened."

"What happened back then?"

"I think a vampire bit a sprite or something like that. Talk about desperate-- sprites are really small. But I suppose just one drop of blood can help rejuvenate a vampire. After he bit the sprite, a massive earthquake occurred. It was terrible. He was apprehended by our vampire council immediately."

Hinata wondered what the consequence was for doing such a thing, but she remained quiet. She feared that she may be correct about the answer.

In the silence between them, she realized that it was much too quiet. She looked around them, noticing that one of the after effects had begun to take place. Passing cars were stopped, their headlights still shining ahead. People walking on the sidewalks had stopped in mid-step. Birds remained in the air, even though their wings had ceased.

_Time had stopped._

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A/N: Ooooo, betchya didn't see that coming, huh? XD Until next time (hopefully, soon!)


	6. Chapter 6

_(A/N: Hola everyone! Here's Chapter 6 of A Vampire's Kiss!)_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters; none at all… Enjoy!**

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"Time's… stopped." Hinata couldn't help but whisper. "Now I _know_ I'm dreaming."

Sasuke chuckled. He eased Hinata away from him and stood up, grabbing the ever still snow flakes in the air. He brought a section of them together to make a little platform, and continued the pattern until he had a small staircase leading up to the roof of the school. He came back down and extended a hand toward her. "Then let this dream never end," he said, smiling.

Hinata took his hand and he helped her up. She was afraid that the little snow flake stairs wouldn't hold up both of them, but they remained steady and stable.

When they reached the top, Hinata looked back down to see if the stairs would somehow disappear, like in those magical movies with princes and princesses. They were still there, just hanging in the air like the birds were. Sasuke laughed. "Those aren't going to diappear for a while, you know, so don't worry about how to get down."

"When is time going to start again?" Hinata asked.

"Hard to say," he frowned, "like I said, this type of thing has happened before, but not this particular case. Some say that it might last an hour, maybe. But those are just theories. It could last well over a day, but we won't know until it happens."

Hinata furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How can you keep track of the time that this lasts if time itself is frozen?"

This caught Sasuke off guard, but he laughed again. "Very good point," he remarked, "so I guess there's no way to really know. We'll just have to wait it out, I suppose."

"Hmm, do you know why we're the only ones not frozen?" Hinata wondered as Sasuke wrapped his arms around her.

She felt him stiffen. "We aren't."

"What?"

We're not the only ones unfrozen."

"How's that possible?" she asked.

"Humans can't withstand a time-freeze because they are unstable, so they freeze along with it. And as far as I know, vampires and holy creatures can, including every them and the ones who did it."

Hinata froze.

"It's during these periods that the vampire council and it's supporters are able to react and apprehend whoever did it. That's why it's not noticed by the humans."

"You're not going to get caught, are you?" Hinata asked fearfully.

"I can try to evade them for as long as I can, but that's all." Sasuke said sourly.

Hinata hugged him, encasing both of them in her spectacular wings. She couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for them to be found.

***

Just as they started walking down the staircase, Sasuke had a feeling that he and Hinata were being watched. He jerked his head upward towards the roof, only to find no one there.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" Hinata asked.

"No, it's nothing," said Sasuke, still looking up at the roof, his eyes narrowed.

***

Just as they started walking down the staircase, a figure appeared on the roof.

Itachi Uchiha stared down after them, hungrily. _Perhaps the council will reward me for taking care of him,_ he thought.

* * *

A/N: End of Chapter 6! What'll happen next? XD Stick around for more. Coming soon: Chapter 7! =)


	7. Chapter 7

_(A/N: Hey people! Sorry I haven't updated in almost a month, I was having computer problems… So anyway, here's chapter 7!!)_

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Naruto or it's characters… just the creativity that I put into this…. Enjoy!! =)**

* * *

"Um, Sasuke?" Hinata asked timidly.

"Hm?" He said as he closed the door to the school behind them.

"Uh, what'll everyone else think if I went back with my blouse soaked with blood?"

Sasuke looked her over again, thoughtful. Then he grimaced. "Well," he began, "someone would scream bloody murder at the sight. And someone would faint as well. They'd jump to conclusions, and then your friend Kiba would kick my ass." He grinned at the thought and tacked on a "as if he could."

Hinata thought that over too and sighed. "I guess I'll just go home and get something. I wish I'd thought of it when time was frozen, then I could have been back in no time at all."

Sasuke couldn't help but smile. "Horrible joke," he said, "keep working on your stand-up comedy act."

As they walked down the hallway, Sasuke stopped at his own locker. After getting the lock off, he opened it and tossed a black t-shirt at her. "Try this." He told her.

She caught the shirt and held it away from her to get a good look at it. It had the decal of a guitar on it with the words "Rock On!" on it.

She walked into the girls' restroom to try it on.

***

_I wonder where Hinata is…_ Kiba wondered as he spun the remaining noodles around his bowl. _And what could that Uchiha want?_

Akumaru poked his head out a little from Kiba's jacket. "Do you think I should go and see what's up?" he asked him.

The small dog barked a few small barks and then whimpered. Translation: _Wouldn't we be invading Hinata's privacy?_

Kiba thought over this. "I guess you're right," he mumbled, "besides, even though she's not one to hold a grudge, Hinata would get upset with us for checking up on her."

Akumaru barked indignantly. _What do you mean "__we__"?_

***

Hinata had to admit, even though the t-shirt was a bit more loose-fitting than she had hoped, she liked the shirt. Sure, it would raise a few questions of why she had changed in the middle of the school dinner, but she didn't mind.

Her poor shirt was still stained with blood. No matter how much she had tried to rinse it out in the sink, it would not come out. After she had given up, she stuck it in her locker, intending to come back for it after the dinner and take it home to soak it.

Sasuke, reading the gratitude on her face, grinned in triumph as he opened the door to the auditorium.

Kiba's head snapped up almost immediately, his eyes narrowing when he saw Sasuke. "Hey, Hinata!" he called to her.

Hinata walked over to their table, Sasuke following. "I'm sorry Kiba," she apologized quickly, "I didn't think about making you wait since you were watching my things."

" 'S alright, I don't mind." Kiba took his narrowed eyes off of Sasuke and observed her. "Did you change shirts or something?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Some water poured down on me from the roof and soaked me-- probably since it's not cold enough for snow yet." Hinata looked at Kiba, waiting for his response. Would he buy it?

"Oh." Kiba looked suspicious, looking from Hinata to the now retreating Sasuke, but didn't comment. "Well, if you're hungry, you'd better get some more ramen. Fast. Naruto came over and all but ate your bowl, but I don't think that he's full yet."

Hinata laughed-- mostly with relief at the change of topic--, grabbed her empty bowl, and went back to the table where they were, thankfully, still serving the remaining ramen.

***

Sasuke stared thoughtfully at Hinata as she made her way back to the table. He noticed her stride as she walked-- not completely confident, respectful towards everyone else, and… cute. Even though a lot of girls liked him, he had never paid much attention to them. Until now. He had never confessed love for any girl. Until now. He'd never shared his secret with anyone outside his family… until now.

Could she really keep his secret safe? Sasuke knew that Hinata was no gossip, but this type of thing was out of the ordinary for most people. She seemed trustworthy, but he had learned not to fully rely on anyone his entire life. _Well,_ he thought, _I _do _have her secret as well. So if she just happens to tell--_

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke jumped at the sound of Naruto's voice. "Ugh," he grumbled, "what do you want, idiot?"

Naruto glared at him, but continued as if Sasuke had never spoken. "I just wanted to know…" he trailed off suggestively, giving Sasuke a smug look.

"What?"

"Why are you staring at Hinata??" Naruto grinned.

"I'm not staring at her," he stated simply, trying to keep on his poker face.

"Yes, you are!! You're _checking her out_, aren't you??"

"Can't I just look around the room without being accused of 'checking someone out'?"

Naruto scrutinized his friend. "Nope."

Sasuke got up from his seat at the table. "I'm not just going to sit here and be accused for something I wasn't even doing," he said, "I'm going home."

Naruto stood up with him. "Sure, I'll state the conditions that you have to deal with so that I won't say anything about this as we walk."

Sasuke hit him in the head. Naruto yelped in pain and grabbed his head. "Not on your life, loser," Sasuke muttered as he walked off.

* * *

A/N: Lol, what's going to happen next? Find out next time! See ya! =)


	8. Chapter 8

_(A/N: Hi guys! Here's chapter 8 of A Vampire's Kiss! Enjoy!)_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters, ok? Get it, got it? Good =) On with the story!**

Hinata plopped down on her bed, the day's events still whirring around in her head. She had read about vampires before, in fictional books of course, and had even heard about sightings in other parts of the world. She'd have never taken it into consideration until now.

Sasuke didn't seem like he could be a vampire. Sure, he did look a little pale, as if he never went outside-- but he _did_ get out, quite a lot actually. And Hinata couldn't criticize his complexion since she had skin just about as pale.

With this thought, Hinata rolled over in bed, reached into her nightstand drawer, and took out an old photo. She held it over her face, gazing up at her childhood.

In the picture, the 8-year-old versions of Sasuke and herself where on the beach. Sasuke was buried under what looked like a ton of sand, with Hinata still pouring more on him. All that could be seen of him was his head. Despite his predicament, he was grinning widely when the picture was taken.

Hinata remembered that day so well…

"_Hey, how many buckets have I poured on you already?" Hinata asked Sasuke, still being buried in the mound of sand._

_He scrunched up his face in concentration. "I dunno," he replied, "I lost count. Maybe a million?"_

_Hinata grinned. "Alright," she said, somewhat satisfied, "let's make it two million!" She emptied another bucket of sand onto him for emphasis._

"_Hey!" Sasuke frowned, "It's your turned to be buried now! I've been here _forever_!"_

_Pretending not to hear him whine, Hinata continued to empty more buckets of sand over him, counting as she went. "A million and two, a million and three, a million and four…"_

_Suddenly, Sasuke smiled. "Ok, you asked for it!" He rose up slowly, like a mummy arising from it's casket. He turned toward Hinata. "Yooooooouuurrrrr tuuuuuurrrrrrnnnn," he moaned, zombie-like._

_Hinata shrieked with glee, playfully threw the bucket at him, and ran. Sasuke dodged it and ran after her. _

_They ran along the small length of the beach, the gritty, sparkling sand welcoming their every pounding step. Hinata ducked under a picnic table and sprinted past the lifeguard tower. Sasuke went around the table, leaped over a drink cooler, and followed suit in sprinting past the tower. _

_Hinata was small and nimble, but Sasuke was faster. He quickly gained ground on her. Hinata, realizing the end of the chase was near, came to a stop and turned around, arms spread as though she were a human road block. Sasuke, not able to stop fast enough, ran into her, making them both fall to the ground. _

_Acting fast, he began to tickle her. She laughed. "Gotchya," Sasuke said, laughing along with her._

"_No, noo," she breathed, "no, stop! Ok, ok, you got me!"_

"_Kids!" Sasuke's mother called to them, "Lunch time!"_

_After helping Hinata up and letting her catch her breath, Sasuke lead the run back to their spot on the beach._

_His mother laid out the picnic blanket for them to sit on and then handed them their hotdogs. "Here you go," she said, handing one to Hinata. "And here you go," she handed one to Sasuke._

_As she ate, Hinata tilted her head back and closed her eyes, taking in the scents around her. The warm smell of fresh water, a faints smell of something on a grill…_

"_Hinata."_

_She opened her eyes to gaze at Sasuke. "Hm?" She asked._

"_Do you remember when you first moved here?" He asked, his gaze focused on the water._

"_How could I forget?" Hinata said, thinking back to when she was even younger. "You were the first one I really ever met here that was my age. All the other kids were afraid that Daddy would punish them if they had anything to do with me." She frowned._

"_Yep, but you being shy didn't help." Sasuke smiled._

"_I guess… Sasuke?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_When we get older- like really old- do you think we'll still be friends?"_

_Sasuke chewed his hotdog in thought. He swallowed, turned to her, and said "Yeah. I'm sure of it." He held out his pinky finger. "Pinky swear?"_

_Hinata hooked hers with his. "Pink swear." And they shook on it._

Since then, the pinky swear seemed to have lost its meaning. Hinata and Sasuke split up into different crowds- Sasuke with the relatively popular people and fangirls who chased after him, and Hinata with the friends that Sasuke had originally introduced her to.

It had seemed that way… at least until this night.

A/N: Ah, that's all for this chapter, my dear friends. Sorry that I haven't posted in forever, what with the computer having to get fixed (twice) due to viruses (which deleted this chapter… I was sooo mad), high school drama crap and homework, and spending time with my loved ones, I haven't had much time to type up any new chapters or stories. But summer's coming! So hang tight, I'll put up some new stuff asap! =)


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N: Hey guys, here's Chapter 9 of A Vampire's Kiss!)**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, just the plot, ok? Enjoy!**_

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_Sasuke laid on his bed. He was tired, but he couldn't sleep. The thing about how vampires only sleep during the day and hunt for victims at night was pure BS. Anyone could adapt to that sleeping pattern. Except it seemed true just then. Maybe it's when a vampire's in love that he can't sleep,_ Sasuke thought, staring up at the white ceiling. _But then again, can't that happen to anyone?_

He groaned. "Ugh, dammit…"

A small part of him wished his mother were still around- she'd know what'd help him get to sleep. But since all he had was his older brother, who wasn't even home, he just had to improvise.

Before he gave himself the chance to think about it, he opened his window and quickly climbed out. He sat on the windowsill for the slightest second, and then leaped from it. He landed smoothly on the ground with all bones in tact, no signs of injury at all, though his room was on the second floor.

Making sure no one was around and not knowing where he wanted to go exactly, he set off in a brisk walk into the night.

***

_(A/N: Ugh, I can't take it anymore! I __**must**__ do some character POV!)_

Hinata's POV _(A/N: Ahh, much better…)_

Suddenly, I jolted awake from the sleep that engulfed me what seemed like moments before. I sat up quickly, making me slightly dizzy. After the spell went away, I tried to focus on what had woken me up.

I could sense something. My angelic spirit isn't something that gets aroused easily. Not this easily anyway. But what is it? Or who?, a small voice in the back of my mind said. I shivered.

I focused even harder, so hard in fact that anyone who could've walked in at that moment either would've thought I was meditating or getting a migraine. Even so, I couldn't get anything. All I knew is that I had to get out of the house. But would Father let me out this late?

Suddenly, I got an idea. I don't have to sneak out at all, why risk the intervention with him later? I quickly grabbed my purse, a pair of sandals, and a light-weight jacket. I left my room and took the stairs two at a time to get downstairs.

I found Father was sitting in his favorite recliner chair, reading a book. I didn't get a chance to look at it before he put it down to look at me. He pushed up his glasses. "What is it?" He asked, in a voice that he was annoyed that I was disturbing him in the middle of a good book.

"I need to run to the store," I said as strongly as I could without allowing my voice to falter.

He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, then returning his expression the stern look that Hinata knew only too well. "It's too late to go out." He said simply, picking his book up again.

"It's important. I need to get some… girl stuff." Father froze. I grinned inwardly. "You know- feminine hygiene? I've just run out and-"

He didn't let her finish. "Just get back here soon. No detours."

"Yes, Father."

I could've jumped up at my small victory. Instead, I did the smart thing and walked out of the house, leaving him to his reading.

I was out of the house by the time I thought of something. Now that I thought about it, from what I had seen of the cover of the hard-covered book, it looked a lot like Kakashi's book- "Make-out Paradise"… Weird…

***

I never knew the streets could be so quiet at night. I thought it'd be bumbling with late-nighters, like gang members, police (not that I want to run into them), people heading to parties, etc. But this was deathly quiet. Creepy quiet. Too quiet.

It's not that I was being paranoid, but I always get the feeling- especially tonight- that whenever I'm alone, someone's following me. I could always here things that would make me move faster, like twigs cracking, leaves rustling, the sound of "footfalls" behind me. Tonight is no different.

Except… there really _was _someone following me. I didn't have to hear it. I could feel it.

I sped up a little. The feeling was still there, weighing me down. I'm not looking back, I'm _not_ looking back, I chanted to myself. Why the heck did I have to choose to wear sandals tonight?!

I came to a small park, by then running as best as I could in my sandals. I could feel whoever it was behind me still pursuing me. And then I could hear it. The rapid movement, the brushing and bending of the grass under their feet. It was a wonder they hadn't caught up to me yet.

I ran past a swing set and ducked under the connecting jungle gym, and that's when I ran into someone. I screamed, only to have be cut off when they put their hand over my mouth. "Hinata! It's me!"

I looked up. Sasuke came into view in my still adjusting eyesight. Suddenly, feeling like a child again, I clung to him. "What's wrong?" he asked as he put his arms around me, sounding alarmed.

"I-I thought I was being followed is all," I said, still a little winded from my run, "It was probably nothing-"

"_Followed_?" He said, looking around anxiously.

"What's wrong?" It was my turn to ask.

I could tell he was grimacing without looking. "It could've been the council. Maybe they were looking for a testimony or a complaint. Or…" Sasuke let the word hang there.

"'Or'?" I prompted.

"_Or_… it could have been another vampire."

"Another one?" I unknowingly gasped at the possibility. "Why would one be following me?"

"Well," he started, "holy creatures… Hm, how can I put it so that I won't scare you?"

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it," I said, looking up at him.

"Ok, so… holy creatures are… hard to come by, if you know what I mean. Sure, us vampires can sense them like humans, but that doesn't mean they're as easy to locate. It's like they are cloaked from us, like you were from me."

"So you sensed me, but didn't know?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yep. It always drove me nuts- not knowing…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, " I apologized, "please continue."

"Well, like I've said before, beings like you are hard to come by. And somewhat rare in our world. It's one of the reasons we're not supposed to harm any holy creatures. But… there is a loophole, I'm afraid."

"A loophole?"

"A loophole," he repeated. "The law says that we aren't supposed to drink their blood. Seeing as we've only created the second catastrophe with that," he smiled a little, "you can see that we've been following that law. But the loophole… most vampires don't suck their blood… they kill them."

My eyes widened in fear. "But the law…"

"-has holes in it." He finished for me. "It says we can't drink their blood. It doesn't say anything about not killing them…" He trailed off for a minute, probably to let me take it in, and then resumed again. "You have to understand that some vampires have sick minds. Usually, after they're killed -and I've only seen this a few times-, they keep them as a sort of trophy. Or they-" He paused.

"What?"

"Or they somehow get the blood out of the creature and drink it."

I was vaguely aware that I was trembling. "I thought they couldn't drink it without a disaster happening," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"That's true. But they mix in human blood to delude it. That way they're not drinking it directly, and it'll go untraced."

I groaned. "As if we don't have enough to worry about…"

"I'm sorry," he said, hugging me closer to him, "about all of this. This is all my fault."

"No it isn't. I'm sure I would've found trouble soon enough." I grinned at him. "I may be an angel, but it doesn't necessarily mean I'm angelic."

He laughed. "But I thought angels were supposed to be perfect," he said, mocking me.

I rolled my eyes at this. "Oh please," I said, "All angels are as perfect as all vampires are evil."

Once it came out of my mouth, I knew I'd probably made a mistake, treading on sensitive grounds. But he laughed again. "Good," he said, kissing me, "I don't like people who are 'perfect'. Just people who aren't perfect- but are perfect for me."

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A/N: Aww, well, I guess I'll leave it there for now. I'm tired o.o… Plus, I've gotta leave some room for Chapter 10, right? Coming soon!!! (P.S- btw, sorry for freaking out about the POV thing up there. I can't really stand normal POV for very long, let alone _9 chapters!!!!_ I'm better with character POV… lol)


	10. Chapter 10

(A/N: Hello, and welcome to the tenth chapter of A Vampire's Kiss! Sorry it took me so long to update, I keep getting mind blocks x_x)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters in any way… Here's another chapter- come and get it while it's hot! Enjoy!! =D**

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Sasuke's POV

I _hate_ fangirls- period. Once their idol (that's me) talks to one individual girl who's not part of their fan club (that's Hinata) they bully her for life. Well, at least while I'm not around. Otherwise, they just stare.

To keep them from harassing her, I walked her to all of her classes, even the ones farthest away from my own.

It had been a few days since she's been followed. It hadn't happened since, probably because I encouraged her to stay home at night. I don't know _who_ could've followed her- or why- but I know that whoever it was wasn't planning to invite her over their house for milk and cookies. But… _who?_

"Sasuke?" Hinata said, sounding a little bit worried.

"Hm?" I snap out of my trance-like state. I'll think about it later.

"Are you ok?" she asked, "You seem to be so out of it lately."

"I'm fine," I smiled a slightly forced but sincere smile.

"I said thank you for walking with me these past few day. The girls don't mess with me anymore."

"No problem."

I walked her to the doorway of her fifth period Math class. "I'll see you after class," I told her.

"Ok." She went into the classroom, the whispers hushed. I didn't need Einstein's brain to figure out what they were talking about.

I strode away from the math class, a little chagrined because even though I can protect her outside of her classes, I don't have any way to do so in the classes she has without me. This totally sucks…

"SASUKE!!!" Oh God, no.

Naruto pounces on me from behind, making everyone remaining in the hallway turn to look at us. "What do you want?" I asked as I shook him off of me.

He lowered his voice a few octaves to a whisper (which is a big improvement for him). "Wanna skip class with me? We have to talk!"

"About what?"

Naruto gave me his all-knowing look. "You'll have to come with me to find out!"

He might be one of my closest friends, but that doesn't mean he can't piss me off or annoy me now and again. Still, my curiosity got the best of me. "Fine," I said. "But try not to get us caught this time, alright?"

His face lights up as he leads the way down the hall. We walk past the nurse's office- a place I usually avoid passing for obvious reasons- and to the door leading to the roof. He opens the door for me. "After you, your Stubbornness," he grins. I resist the temptation to whack him in the head as I pass. We make short work of climbing the stairs and come to the familiar door to the roof. I pushed it open.

It's kind of stupid, coming up here to skip class. The teachers and staff are oblivious, but they're not complete idiots. They send people up here constantly to check for students who might be skipping. But, of course, being a Junior and coming here since freshman year has it's privileges.

For instance, even though there was a fence around the whole rooftop to prevent students from falling, jumping, or being thrown off (we could still come up here during breaks and lunch), there's still a place to hide.

First, there's the obvious: right behind the entrance. Of course they check back there, but if you time everything right, you'd be in the clear (unless there were _more _than one). But that's the practical thing to do.

The next one's for pros: hiding in the giant metal vent thing _(A/N: You know, that giant metal vent thingy on rooftops that have vents over them? I don't know what they're called or what they're used for, but please bear with me)_ up here. You can't just dive in there and look out to see them, because they check in there. You had to go in really deep to avoid being caught.

Until then, we wouldn't worry about it. "So what is it?" I asked Naruto, leaning against the fence "bad-boy" style.

Naruto plopped down on ground, cross-legged. "Ya know what I heard?"

I sighed. "If it's about you and Sakura going on out on another date, I don't wanna hear it."

Naruto pouted. "Hmph, it happened to be very nice… but no, that's not it." He started again. "I heard that you're going out with Hinata now." He raised his eyebrows smugly. "Is it true?"

"Where'd you hear that?" I said, ignoring his question.

"I have people," he said, grinning. "So it's true, isn't it?"

"You… could say that." My friend's eyes lit up. "I mean, we're seeing each other more often than we used to, and we're friends, and I walk her to her classes like a gentleman. But that's what friends do, right?"

"Hmph," Naruto pouted, "yeah, right. You never walk me to any of my classes!"

"That's because you're a big boy and you can handle it by yourself."

"Quit avoiding my question! Hinata's your girlfriend, isn't she?!"

"Depends on your definition."

"ARGH!" Naruto stood up and pointed to me. "You are the most difficult, frustrating, indecisive little-"

I couldn't help but laugh, which made him become even more heated.

"I am one of- no, I am your _best_ friend! Can't you tell me? I'm not gonna tell anyone! I promise!"

I stared at him. I knew he could never keep a secret, no matter the size of it, with that big mouth of his. Still, it's going to have to come to pass eventually. "Yes," I said, "we're dating."

Naruto's mouth opened to say something else, and then he froze, his mouth dropping. "I can't believe I got it out of you so easily," he said, meaning to whisper to himself. He recomposed himself. "You're serious? Not pulling my leg, but dead serious?"

What a wonderful term he used there, since vampire are supposedly "dead." I already knew this was going to be all over the school by morning- maybe even by this afternoon- but it was somewhat to my advantage. Sure, the fangirls would erupt in fury and anger and go after Hinata, but I'd protect her, and so would her friends (I'd met them before, they seem loyal and sincere- two things that come in short supply these days). Not to mention with all of the extra attention, any stalkers would steer clear for the better part of the day.

Sounds like a plan to me.

"I'm serious."

Naruto jumped up in victory. "YES! I KNEW IT!!! I DIDN'T THINK IT'D EVER HAPPEN, BUT IT _**DID**_!!! OH MY GOD!!!"

Thank God ignoring people is my is my forte.

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A/N: YAY! Another chapter finished! I got over my mind block! Maybe it was because of all the normal pov (which is definitely not my forte!)… Anyway, fear not, another chapter is brewing! Chapter 11 is around the corner! See ya!


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N: Hello my peeps, what's up? Welcome to the 11th**** chapter of A Vampire's Kiss! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far!)**

**Disclaimer: In no way do I own Naruto or its charaters… *sigh*… Enjoy!!!**

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Sasuke's POV

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class that Naruto and I skipped. We heard people shuffling through the halls bellow, and decided that we could slip into the crowd inconspicuously without being noticed by the staff (that is, if Naruto kept his mouth shut).

We made our way down the narrow stairway and through the door, parting ways for the time being. I headed toward Hinata's math class where'd she be waiting. Should I tell her about what I told Naruto? I wondered. Would she be mortified?

I turned the corner and into the doorway of Hinata's class. She's in there, hurriedly copying down her homework assignment. I smiled a little at the thought at her becoming so flustered to get it down when she had plenty of time, since it was time for lunch.

When she glanced up at the board to copy more, her eyes wandered of to the door and found me standing there. She blushed and wrote -if possible- even faster. I was pretty sure, even with her neat handwriting, that whatever she was writing would be illegible by the time she finished.

"Hello, Mr. Uchiha," said the math teacher, Iruka, looking up from his desk as he prepared for his lunch break. I almost forgot he was there.

"Hey," I said.

"Is there something that you need?" He asked, gazing at me.

"Oh, no, I'm just waiting for one of my friends to finish up so we can go to lunch."

"Oh." Iruka stood up. "Well, I'm off then. See you in class after lunch." I made way for him and he passed by.

I stepped into the classroom. Hinata looked up at me, done with her copying. "So," I said, "may I escort you to lunch now, Miss Hinata?"

Her cheeks reddened a little at the formality. "It would be my pleasure," she said. I extended my hand for her to take. She reached to take it, causing her books to fall off of her desk.

She gasped in surprise. I caught one, but the others were falling to the floor. Suddenly, a new hand reached out and snatched them up. Shocked, both of us looked up.

A guy was standing there with the books in his hands. I had no idea who he was. He had red hair, a few visible tattoos on his arms and a small one on his forehead, black clothes, and kind of a dark expression. He handed Hinata her books in silence.

I already didn't like him.

"T-thank you, Gaara," Hinata told him.

His face softened a little while mine hardened. "No problem," he said. He walked past us and out of the classroom, but not before looking back at me with a look I couldn't understand.

I took Hinata's books from her and we walked down the hall together. The other students were chattering throughout the path, but to me it was just us roaming the halls.

"Who was that?" I ask, a little calmer than before.

"Hm?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Back in the classroom- who was that guy? I've never seen him before."

"Oh," she said, "that's Gaara. He's in most of my classes. He usually keeps to himself, but we've been partnered up a few times for projects. Like this one." Hinata held out a thin packet of papers for me to see.

I took it and read it over by the time we reached her locker. "A report on the first hokage?" I asked.

"Yep," she said, taking her books from me to put into her locker. "for history. We got the assignment a few days ago actually. It's due in a week and a half but we haven't found anything good yet."

"Isn't it bad to be picky when you don't have too many resources?" I asked, teasing her as I handed back the packet.

"Well, you know Kakashi," Hinata said, sighing as she closed her locker, her assignment snuggled in with her books. "he wants nothing but the best. No clichés, nothing unoriginal- you know, interesting facts."

"Such as?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

I laughed. I opened the door to the lunchroom for her. She went in, and I was about to follow right after her when she came back through.

I closed the door. "What's wrong?"

"Look." She mumbled hoarsely.

I looked through the window of one of the doors to see what had freaked her out. Everyone -and I mean _everyone_- was looking at the door she had come back through so quickly. All eyes were upon the door. Expectant eyes, jealous eyes, "WTF?!" eyes, "you've-got-some-explaining-to-do eyes, and even more than that. "Oh," I said. Damn, Naruto was _quick._

"'Oh'? That's all?" She said, clearly terrified. "T-they're all _staring_ at me! Why are they all staring at me???"

Uh-oh. Confession time. "Uh-"

"Have you heard anything? Did I trail toilet paper from my shoe or something? Or is it something else?"

"Well…" She looked at me, urging me to finish. "I might've mentioned that-" her eyes grew a little wider- "that we're… dating."

Her eyes got even wider. "You told everyone that?" She asked quietly.

"No, no! Just Naruto."

"So you did tell everyone." She sighed, her breath shaking.

"I had to have some explanation as to why we're spending so much time together all of a sudden. And besides," -I took her hands into my own- "I love you." I whispered.

I saw her expression change. I seemed to have been forgiven. "Well, it would make sense," she said, offering me a small smile. "I just don't like the stares though."

"Who says we have to stay in here for lunch then?" I smirked. I grabbed her hand and speed-walked back down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Hinata asked, barely keeping up with me.

"McDonalds."

Even though she was behind me I sense her confusion. "But isn't that a ten minute walk from here? We'll never make it back in time for our next class!"

We exited the building through the main doors. "Not by car," I told her, taking out my keys. We strolled up to my car -an old Volkswagen beetle (why have a nice, expensive car when you have the stamina to run and go anywhere you want to?)- and I opened the car with the remote. "It's open," I told her.

She got into my car and I drove out of the parking lot and off towards where our lunch would be waiting.

Hinata's POV

Even though it wasn't new, I liked his car. It was about time someone at this school went back to the classics. Plus it didn't have that new car smell that I didn't like, but a nice, homey smell instead.

"You like Linkin Park?" I asked, finally noticing the familiar notes of "In The End" floating out of his car's speakers.

"They're my favorite band," he told me, "you?"

"They're awesome," I said, smiling, "I'd have all of their CDs, but my father isn't too fond of them."

"Hm," he said, shooting me a sarcastic smile for a second before he turned his attention back to the road, "I thought angels were supposed to like soft, instrumental music."

"Pft, you already know I'm not angelic. Obviously, I'm a rock angel."

We laughed while Sasuke pulled into a parking space. He even opened my door for me (before I had even unbuckled my seatbelt, mind you… man, he's fast!).

We walked into the small building, the smell of French fries hitting me as soon as we did. "So what would you like?" Sasuke asked as we stood back looking at the menu above the counter.

"Um, a cheeseburger and a small packet of fries." I wasn't being cheap in case he was offering to pay- that really was what I always got.

He walked ahead of me to the counter. We were greeted by a small woman in her red and yellow uniform. "Hello, how may I help you?" She asked in her rehearsed voice.

"I'll have one cheeseburger, one small fry, and- do you want anything to drink?" He asked, turning to me.

"Pink lemonade would be nice," I said shyly. How could I forget the drink?

"One pink lemonade and one Sprite. And that'll be all."

She rang up the total. I started to go into my pocket for my money when Sasuke placed a hand on my arm. "My treat," he told me, handing the woman money.

Once we got our food, he led us to a vacant table in the far corner by the window. I quietly nibbled on one of my fries before starting on my burger. But before I took a bite, I looked at him, sipping on his drink. I stared until he looked up at me. "What is it?" he asked me.

"How come you haven't ordered any-" I cut myself off, embarrassed. I keep forgetting that he's a vampire. It's just that he was so… _human._

He chuckled despite my embarrassment. "Vampires _can_ eat if they choose to do so." He sipped his Sprite and stared out the window. "I'm just not that hungry today."

His look had tipped me off. "You mean because-"

"-I drank your blood." He finished for me.

"But that was days ago," I said, counting the days on my fingers.

"The blood of a holy creature can…" he paused, looking a bit uncomfortable, "sustain someone like me for awhile- a week at the most, maybe."

"So… vampires aren't on all liquid diets?" I asked, a little shaken by that fact.

"Some choose to do so," he clarified, "most vampires do. Human and animal blood. A few of us prefer to eat human meals in the mix. It hardly sustains us at all, but it helps us blend in more."

"Have… you ever bitten a human before?"

He froze. Suddenly I wished I hadn't said anything. Seeing my discomfort match his own, he relaxed a little- but only a little. "When I was younger, my older brother taught me that it was ok to drink the blood of humans- that it was unnatural to drink the blood of anything else. And he also taught me that we had to kill them afterwards, otherwise they would have us killed. I wasn't comfortable with it, but it was all I could do to survive as far as I knew at the time.

"But one day," he continued, "I met another vampire who was- how should I put it? A vegetarian, if you will- someone who abstains from drinking the blood of humans and holy creatures. He told me that I didn't have to continue killing humans if I didn't want to. He taught me about how vegetarians live. Before him, my brother and I were living like the vampires you read about in books."

We sat there in silence for a moment. To kill the tension that was building, I asked. "So those things about vampires aren't true?"

He grinned. "Nope, not for me- not anymore."

"Going out in sunlight?"

"C'mon, you've known me for a long time, so you know I get plenty of sunlight. It's just that vampires don't get tans. So we've gotta watch how much we go outside around others."

"Coffins?"

"Nope, just boring old beds."

"Can you…" I trailed off.

"What?" He looked at me with questioning eyes.

"Can you turn others into vampires?"

He tensed. "Only if I choose to do so. If someone has the intention to turn one into a vampire, the venom in our teeth will flow into their veins. If they survive, they'd be a vampire within a 24-hour period."

I gulped, not wanting to imagine the horrible experience. And, to my surprise, he laughed. "Ok, it's my turn now." He smiled at me.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" What could he possibly want to know about me?

"How come you don't have a halo?"

That one threw me for a second, but I straightened up and said, "Because I'm half human. My mom was an angel, and my dad's human."

He sipped his drink thoughtfully. "Hmm, ok… how come you don't fly anywhere? I know you can't be in the form of an angel 24/7, but still."

"Oh," I said, a little bit saddened, "my father doesn't allow it."

"Why not?"

"Because I might draw attention." That wasn't the main answer, but I wasn't going to talk about the real reason just yet.

Sasuke looked at me sympathetically and continued. "Do you rest on clouds in the sky?"

I looked at him in disbelief. He was smiling. "I'll be resting on a cloud when you're resting in a coffin." We laughed.

And the conversation continued like that. A game of 20 Questions- back and forth, back and forth. It amazed me how little I knew about him, and how much we had in common. Sure, we were childhood friends, but so much has happened since then. Both of our mothers had died. Our siblings seemed to be out to get us. Our fathers were (and mine still was) hard on us. And much more.

The time flew by. I was sad when it was time to head back to school. "Can we do this again tomorrow?" I asked Sasuke as we got into his car.

"Do you mean getting together for lunch or playing 20 Questions?"

"Both."

"Sure." He grinned. "I'm not even close to finished with my questions."

"Likewise."

***

We got out of his car in the school parking lot, causing people to stare. I realized they were probably wondering where we went during lunchtime, and I blushed. Sasuke took my hand in his and smiled at me, as though he'd read my mind and was trying to comfort me.

"Thanks," I said to him.

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A/N: Phew! That was a long chapter- 3 and a half pages on Microsoft Word! So now you know a little more about the characters, and I even brought Gaara into this! What will happen next?? Stay tuned for Chapter 11, coming soon! =D

And thank you so much to my reviewers. I love you guys!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hello, and welcome to my story- A Vampire's Kiss! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far!

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do **_**not**_** own Naruto or any of its characters… if I did, trust me, it'd be a little different in the characters' romance department ;) … Enjoy!!!**

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Hinata's POV

Despite the stares we were getting, it was nice walking into the school hand-in-hand with Sasuke. At the moment, I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be.

He parted ways with me at the door to my history class with a "I'll see you after class." But before he did, I could've sworn that he looked over my shoulder, as if looking for someone.I must've imagined it, I thought.

As it turned out, I was actually early. The teacher wasn't there yet, but some students were starting to come in already. I quietly slipped into my seat beside Kiba, thinking about me and my "boyfriend's" conversation (_A/N: Sorry if that's bad grammar, I don't know how else to put it o.o)_ when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hi Kiba," I turned happily toward him… at least until I saw his expression.

He looked somewhat forlorn, upset, and even a little bit angry. "Kiba, what's wrong?" I asked him, my happiness turning into concern for my best friend.

"I heard that you're going out with Uchiha now," he grumbled, clearly unhappy with the concept.

"Oh," I said, a little bit uncomfortably, "yes, _Sasuke_ and I are going out now."

"Why?"

"'Why' what?"

Kiba looked at me intently. "Why are you going out with him? He's totally not your type. And-"

"How would you know?" I snapped, "Have you known him personally?"

He looked taken aback at my sudden outburst, but still looked grim. "Actually, I have."

I wasn't expecting that. "W-what?"

"Just know that he's not your type, alright? I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I-I don't need protecting, Kiba." Quite the contrary.

Just as he opens his mouth to answer, Kakashi walks into the classroom (late, as usual). "Sorry I'm late," Kakashi says for the hundredth time this year- alone, "I had some business to attend to." All of us already knew that his "business" had to do with him sitting in the teacher's lounge with a perverted book in his hands.

"Ok, everyone get together with your partners. I'm giving you the whole period to work on your reports, so I expect your work to be top-notch overall." Translation: _While all of you are working, I'll be reading my book; it's just getting too good to stop reading._

Automatically, because we all know how Kakashi can get when he gets angry, the room shifts. Before I can even gather all of my things to move, Gaara is already seated next to me. "It's ok, we can work on it here," he said as I laid my books back down on the desk.

"Oh, ok…" I muttered shyly.

***

So we started off by naming some of the books we had found in libraries and bookstores around town about the First Hokage. As it turns out, Gaara- in spite of his bad boy looks and attitude- can prove to be a real nerd when he wants to. He told me that he'd surfed the internet and found a small but good handful of interesting facts for our report. And then in the library near his house he found a book about each of the hokages' childhoods.

As for me, I felt momentarily insignificant. All I'd found was one measly fact, and that was by word of mouth, so it might've just been a rumor.

"What is it?" He inquired, looking sincere.

"Well," I said, wrapping a strand of my hair around my index finger, "I heard that Lady Tsundae is related to the First Hokage."

"Hmm…"

"But it could've just been a rumor!" I add, flustered.

"Well, we could always look into it," Gaara said thoughtfully, "you know, ask her questions. I mean, if anyone would know, it would be her."

"Y-yeah, I guess so…" I began to make a note to ask Lady Tsundae about her supposed relative later when I noticed Gaara studying me. "W-what?"

"I'm just curious," he said, "why is such a sweet, innocent girl like you hanging out with someone like Sasuke."

Move over Shy Hinata, Pissed Off Hinata is coming back. "Look, I've already gotten a mini lecture from Kiba," I said coolly, "I don't need one from you too."

"I'm was just wondering why, that's all."

I breathed in and out for a minute and answered. "Well, if you must know, we have more in common than you think, if you can believe that."

Gaara leaned back in his seat. "No, I can't believe it… I wonder."

I glared at him. "What?"

He sat forward, a bit closer than I felt was necessary. "I wonder if -since he and I are so alike- if you and _I_ have anything in common."

I blushed. Welcome back, Shy Hinata! "W-we might, after all, everyone h-has something in common, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"And Hinata and I have more in common than you ever will with her," growled a new voice. I looked up. Sasuke was standing over us, grimacing at Gaara, who gladly returned the hostile look.

"Sasuke," called Kakashi, looking up over the top of his book, "you were in here to deliver a message to _me_, not your friends, so you may go back to your class now."

"But, Kakashi-sensei, class is about to end in three seconds."

Kakashi was just about to lecture him for talking back, when -three seconds later just as Sasuke said it would- the bell rang, signaling the end of class. "Hmm, ok, you're off the hook this time, Sasuke." Kakashi got up from his seat and left the classroom without another word.

As our classmates filed out, Sasuke and Gaara were having a "glare-off". It was only broken up when Kiba spoke up. "For once," he said, sounding a little bit livid, "I agree with Uchiha, and you should _know_ how much I hate agreeing with him." The boys began a new glare-off- Sasuke and Kiba vs. Gaara.

"Um, guys…" I said, blushing when all eyes turned to me. "P-please stop."

"Hmph." Kiba mumbled as he made his way away from us and out the door.

Before following suit, Gaara grabbed a black marker from his pencil case and started writing on my hand. "If you ever need help," he said, tickling my palm with the tip of the marker as he wrote, "just call this number." He capped the marker, smiled at me, frowned at Sasuke, and left.

I was stunned. I looked down at my hand. In the palm of my hand, it read "Gaara- 780-0621 (_A/N: Now, all you Gaara fans out there, please know that this is _not _his real number… so don't call it. I don't want y'all to call only to get an answer from the old lady from who-knows-where)_".

I chanced a look up at Sasuke. There he was, standing with his fists clenched tight enough so that his knuckles turned white, and glaring at my hand with a look that clearly said "wash it off".

Instead of trying to smooth it over, I grabbed my things without another glance at my hand and walked past him. He kept up with me, of course.

"So are you going to wash it off, or am I gonna have to do it?" He asked me evenly.

"Why would I?" I asked with the same tone, "He's my partner for an assignment, Sasuke, so we've gotta keep in contact somehow."

"But what if he's got something other than the assignment on his mind?"

I stopped walking and looked at him. "Gaara's not like that…"

"How do you know?"

"How do you?"

"Look, I just want to keep you safe, alright?" Sasuke was starting to look really tired all of a sudden.

"I know that, but I can defend myself- I'm not _completely_ helpless, you know."

"But you don't know what you're dealing with!"

"Sasuke, please grow up! You really think he's gonna try and rape me or something? You're just getting jealous over nothing!" I was worked up by then.

He breathed in, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, that's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that he's a vampire hunter."

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A/N: Heehee, you weren't expecting that, were you? Curious as to what'll happen next? Well so am I! Look out for Chapter 13, coming soon (I hope so, school's starting this week, and I _still _haven't finished my over-summer English homework yet! T.T)!!!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hello again, and welcome to the thirteenth chapter of A Vampire's Kiss! Alright, thirteen, ironically, is my favorite number, so I'm gonna try and make this a good chapter =)

To my Readers & Reviewers: Thanks for putting some time into reading this, I appreciate it very much! Love you guys!!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters… ENJOY!! XD**

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Hinata's POV

If I was expecting anything at all, that was not it. "W-what?" I stammered.

"He's a vampire hunter." Sasuke gazed at me as we walked, waiting for more of a reaction.

I pushed open the front doors of the school to get outside- I needed some air. "How do you know?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"It's obvious," he glanced at me and added, "to me, anyway."

"Are you sure you're not just saying this to keep me away from him?"

Sasuke frowned at me, making me shiver. "I'm serious." He said coolly. "The council knows which families have hosted -and are still hosting- generations and generations of hunters. Gaara's is one of them. It's in a record book that the council published centuries ago, but it's still quite accurate."

The stares we were getting from on-lookers for walking together wasn't helping my mood get any better. "But just because Gaara's family is a family of hunters doesn't mean that he's one too." I stated.

"It does."

"But he's got two other siblings who could take it up, so he probably wouldn't have to."

"And I suppose he told you that?" He asked, leaning against his car now.

"Yes, he did. Kankuro and Temari. They're both older than him, so wouldn't they take up the 'family business' before he could?"

"Hinata," he said, slowly, "you don't understand. Just like vampires, the hunters start their training when they're young. By now he could kill anyone he wishes to."

"But does he know that you're a vampire?" I asked hotly.

"You see the looks he gives me- he knows. And he knows that I know he's one of them." Sasuke looks away from me and sighs. "Look, I just think it'd be best if you stayed away from him for now."

That's when I snapped. "How is that even possible when he's in most of my classes and I've got a project to do with him?" I breathed in to calm myself a little, then spoke again. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm driving you home." He said evenly.

"No, I'm walking." I began walking away from him and his Bug.

I knew he didn't want to create a scene while all eyes were on us, so I took the advantage and hurried out the school gates.

Sure, with someone possibly coming after me, walking alone wasn't my smartest idea. But I didn't want to ride with Sasuke either! The uncomfortable silence, more arguing… and then a thought occurred to me. _That was our very first fight._

_Oh great, _I thought, _well, maybe I'll be able to make it up tomorrow._ I walked on, trying to keep my thoughts away from the fight. Instead, I concentrated on the smells coming from the bakery I was passing. I looked through the window at the sweets presented on the tables. _Sasuke hates sweets,_ I remembered, starting a new wave of guilt.

But before I passed, I did a double-take. Was that _Gaara _behind the counter??? I pushed the door open and went inside, following the intoxicating smell of freshly baked goods on the way.

Sure enough, there was Gaara, behind the counter with a navy blue smock on over his outfit. He looked so out of place in this cheery little bakery, but, then again, looks can be deceiving.

"Welcome to the Konaha Bakery," he said to me as I walked towards him, clearly not paying enough attention to notice it was me, "are you ready to order?"

"Um, hi Gaara," I said.

He, too, did a double-take. "Hinata? Oh, hi." He gave me that small smile that he never gave anyone else, making me blush.

"Um, do you work here?" I asked, looking around casually.

"Yeah, it's the family business." I looked up at him, shocked. "Yes," he grinned at my expression, "I'm not the badass everyone makes me out to be."

"Really?" I asked.

He laughed. "Well, okay, maybe I am a little badass. But everyone's got a soft side to them, I suppose…" he trailed off. Then he snapped out of it and asked, "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want anything?"

I blushed again, trying to remember the reason why I actually came in there. "Uh… I just came in to see y-you."

Gaara raised his eyebrows. "Hm. Well," he said, lifting the hinged part of the countertop, "would you like a small tour?"

"S-sure." I wasn't sure if that'd be fair to the other customers in the store, but at least that would take my mind off of things. I came through the small opening and he closed it behind me.

"Okay, where to start…" Gaara looked around, trying to find some behind-the-scene things to show me. "Um, first off, this is the counter," he said, motioning to it as if it was the most important piece to the bakery. I giggled.

Gaara stooped down, causing me to stoop too, and I gazed at the colorful pastries before us. There were small cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, bear claws, cinnamon rolls (my favorite), and many more. Just the things behind the glass of the counter were enough to light up the whole room.

I could feel his eyes on me as I looked at them in wonder, but at the same time focusing on not blushing. He reached over and snagged a small cinnamon roll and broke off a piece the size of a ball used for jacks. He held out the piece to me. I reached out to take it, but when my fingers brushed against it, he drew back with a thoughtful look on his face. Then his hand came back, passing up my hand -which dropped slowly to my side- and put the piece to my lips instead.

My face heated up as he popped the piece into my mouth. I chewed slowly and smiled at him. "T-this tastes amazing," I complemented. I would've fainted right then if we hadn't been interrupted by someone.

"Ah!" said an older girl. She had four ponytails of spiky blond hair, had on a purple smock over her pastel colored skirt and matching short-sleeved top, and a smug look on her face. "I see you've finally got a girlfriend, little brother!" She ruffled his hair with her hand.

We both got up from the floor, flustered. "Temari!" Gaara said, sounding more exasperated than embarrassed, "She's just a friend of mine!"

"Sure," she looked at me and winked. "He thinks he's being modest, but instead he's being so rude! He shouldn't be embarrassed that you two are an item. Besides, you two look so cute together!"

I felt my face darken two shades of red more, while, surprisingly, Gaara's face color returned to normal as he calmed down. "Do you mind if I take her in the back room to look around?" He asked, using that "little brother" tone.

Temari thought about it for second and smiled. "Alright," she said, "but remember, the door's gonna be open, so don't try to-"

"Temari!"

"Okay, okay!" She laughed and went to tend to the counter.

Gaara led be down the small store isle, muttering to me all the way. "Sorry about her," he said, "ever since our mother died, she thinks it's _her _job to embarrass me in front of my friends."

Before I could fully react to what he'd just said, we were in the back room. It was small, but I could tell it played a major part in keeping the bakery going. The white walls were covered by giant shelves and stacks filled with baking supplies and fliers promoting the bakery. There were huge bags of flour and sugar, and a cooler across the room which was probably filled with milk and eggs.

"C'mon, I wanna show you something," Gaara said, leading me towards the center of the room.

There, there was an enormous mixing bowl machine… _thingy_ that I just can't describe at the moment- but I had seen it on TV before.

"Cool," I said, walking around the whole thing, wondering how it worked.

"We use it for those super big orders- either when someone wants something huge, or a million tiny little somethings." He peered inside the bowl and smirked. "And it looks like I can give you a little demonstration- there's some batter in the bowl today."

I stood back to avoid getting splattered with batter as he pushed a small blue button on the side of the machine. It started up instantly; slowly at first, and then it picked up speed. The sound coming from it was loud enough that I wanted to cover my ears, but Gaara didn't, and I didn't want to insult him (who knows, it might've been his all-time favorite sound).

Gaara stepped back beside me to watch too. He turned to me and grinned. "Pretty cool, huh?" he yelled over the roaring machine. All I could do was smile and nod enthusiastically since I knew my quiet voice wouldn't rise over the sound of the machine.

We stood there and watched the beauty of batter being mixed. I snuck a look at Gaara. He was looking straight ahead at the contraption, appearing to be in deep thought. _Could all of the things Sasuke said about him be true?_ I wondered. To me, he seemed like a pretty sweet guy (to me, at least). But… could his looks be deceiving me once more??

Suddenly, a small amount of batter splattered onto my face. It was cold, but it wasn't gross or anything like that. I laughed at myself. At least I'd get some batter out of this!

That is until Gaara took it for himself. He slowly wiped the batter from my cheek and then popped it into his own mouth, his expression unreadable.

Of course, being me, my heart picked up in double time. And, for the second time in a week, I collapsed. I would've completely crumpled to the floor if Gaara hadn't caught me.

"Hinata?!" He said, urgent but sounding a bit far away in my mind. "Hinata? Can you hear me at all?"

"…Hm?" I came back faster than I thought I would. I opened my eyes to his concerned ones. "Sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"What're you apologizing for?" Gaara said, chuckling, "it's not like you fainted on purpose, right?"

Nothing could be as embarrassing as fainting- and from something so trivial! I would definitely slap myself later for doing so.

And when I was almost fully relieved of my fainting spell, I realized something else. We were really, _really_ close. A bit _too_ close for someone with a boyfriend.

I jumped up, swaying a little bit. Gaara got up too, with a solemn look in his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked quietly, looking as adorable as a teddy bear.

"N-no, no!" I exclaimed, trying to reassure him. "It's j-just that… I've gotta get home before m-my dad kills me."

"Oh. Well, would you like me to walk you home?"

"No, that's okay." I walked out of the small room and out to the front, still swaying a bit. I could feel Gaara's gaze on me the entire time.

After I ducked under the counter and headed for the door, trying to make a quick escape, he stopped me.

"Hinata," he said, his voice quiet again, "do… do you like me?"

I froze. "A-as a friend?" I asked, although we both already knew what he meant.

"No. Well, yes, but… I mean 'like like'." He stared at me, waiting.

I gulped and said, "I have a boyfriend, Gaara."

"But that's not answering my question," he said simply.

It was a long and awkward moment. It only got more awkward when Gaara put his hands on my arms. "Listen Hina," he said softly, "I care about you- I really do. And I just want to… make sure you're safe…" he trailed off.

"Safe?" I frowned. "Safe from what?"

He mirrored my frown with his own. "You know what from."

"_What_?" No harm in trying to play dumb, right?

"You know." He looked at me intensely, "I _know_ you know. I've seen it from the look in your eyes. You know very well that Sasuke is-"

"-A vampire." I mumbled quietly.

Gaara closed his mouth and nodded silently.

"And you're…" I hesitated for a minute. "You're a vampire hunter, aren't you?"

He took a deep breath, and then spoke. "Yes," he said.

_So Sasuke _was _right, it wasn't just an accusation_, I thought guiltily. "So," I asked icily, "are you going to hunt him?"

Gaara looked hurt. "No," he said in a calm tone, "no. Not unless he hurts someone-specifically you."

"He won't hurt me, Gaara." I said.

"You don't know that for sure." I looked away at his words, but he continued. "A vampire's bloodlust is a powerful force that shouldn't be reckoned with. When they want blood, they feel that they _must_ get it, no matter what. And no vampire has the will or power to escape to a remote place to get it, if you know what I mean."

The thought of that scenario brought back my nightmare. A shock wave rolled through my body, making me shiver. I looked up with him, tears starting to gather in my eyes and my lip starting to quiver. He looked regretful.

"I'm sorry Hinata," he said, scooping me into a hug. I sniffled. "Just promise me that you'll be safe, and that you'll let me know if anything's wrong. Alright?"

"O-okay," I hiccupped.

Sasuke's POV

I stood there, staring through the bakery window, awestruck at the scene before me.

I knew Hinata liked cinnamon rolls, so to help make-up with her, I planned to pick up a few on the way to find her. Little did I know that she'd be in there.

I was about to walk in there and talk to her, whether it ruined my surprise or not, and that's when I saw _him_. I watched them talk while I tried to calm myself down, and waited for her to come out.

But then I saw him touch her, and _hug_ her. And she was _crying_. What the hell did he say to her? I didn't know.

All I knew was that I wanted to kill him.

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A/N: Oooooo, I wonder what'll happen next!! Well, that's for me to know, and you to find out! Bwahahaha… And sorry if Gaara's kind of out of character, I'm trying my best to keep everyone in character here! Also, school has started!!!! And my teachers say we'll be getting homework every day (*gulp* help me… )!! Which means I probably won't be able to get the chapters out at a regular interval like I am now =/ But fear not, I'm not gonna let you guys hang for too long- I promise. So look out for the next chapter! See ya!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to the 14th**** chapter of A Vampire's Kiss!! Hope you guys are enjoying everything so far! XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters in any way or form…**

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Sasuke's POV

I know I probably shouldn't have been mad, and I know it was just a hug, but I couldn't help myself. Why was she crying in the first place? And of all the places _he_ could have worked, why _there_??

I speed walked down the street, wondering if I should let Hinata know what I'd witnessed. It would be awkward (but wasn't everything?), but it needed addressing, right?

I stopped walking for a second. But who knows what she'll think if I told her. She could think I was spying on her! I groaned.

***

I was still thinking about everything- Hinata's stalker from the other night, our fight, and the scene I'd witnessed- by the time I was walking through my front door. The only person I lived with was my brother, so I didn't have to worry about anyone interrupting my lousy mood since he was always out of the house.

I dumped my book bag in front of the door- knowing that it would piss my brother off, as always- and plopped down on the couch. I found the remote buried under one of the couch cushion, along with some potato chip crumbs, a quarter, two rotted carrot sticks, and… a pink bra??? I could feel my face redden as I held it up, examining it. It was a solid bright pink, a C size cup, and one of the straps was broken. _What the hell?_ I thought. I stuffed it behind a pillow (out of sight, out of mind) and turned on the TV.

_He probably did that to screw with me, _I thought bitterly as I sat through a commercial. Itachi, my older brother, and I had never exactly been close. Sure, he kept me after our parents died instead of taking me to a foster home. And sure, the money from his job went towards my education and the place we live in. That doesn't mean we have to act "civil" to each other, not in the privacy of our home, anyway.

There was one rule in the house, and it was the most important, unspoken rule of all- _all vengeances and tricks must be sneaky._ It's a weird rule, since we had no choice but to assume the person who did it was the only other person living in the house, but it was routine.

Too take my mind off of our sibling rivalry, I refocused my attention on the TV. The commercial was featuring a man showing off his newly-found muscles, thanks to "the power of his 'Man of Steel' videos!" It all looked so fake.

"_And now, welcome back to the Day of Horrors movie marathon!" _the TV announcer said, "_Dracula will now continue."_ The screen faded and then I was looking at the fakest vampire movie in the history of the world. It was insulting.

Just when I was about to turn it off, I saw the screen change to an unfamiliar seen. The screen was suddenly filled with color, and not the dull black and white of _Dracula_. My hand froze in mid-air.

I was staring at Itachi, who was standing with someone else- a man. His eyes were glazed over, as if he were in some kind of trance. My brother stood, mumbling things undecipherable to me and the camera that was focused on them. He steeped forward and took the man's shoulders. He didn't even flinch. Then, with a glance back at the camera, he bit into his neck and drank.

A sick feeling formed in the pit of my stomach as I turned the TV off. He was trying to get me back to a vampire's regular diet of human blood. He always tried. It would've been an off day if he hadn't. It made me sick to my stomach- thinking of drinking from someone- but it was somewhat appealing as well.

I groaned again and threw the remote at the wall. The remote hit the wall, and stayed there, creating a hole. I didn't care. I began to make my way for the stairs when the phone rang. Irritably, I answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Itachi? Is that you?"_ There was a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

"No, he's not here right now."

"_Itachi,"_ she continued, clearly sounding drunk and not listening, "_I had such a great time with you last night- we must do it again sometime, just not rough enough to rip any of my clothes."_ She hiccupped and then continued. "_That reminds me, did you happen to come across my bra? It's my favorite one, so I'd like it back. I won't describe since you already know what it looks like." _She giggled.

I slammed the phone down onto the receiver. _Itachi…_ I seethed as I made my way upstairs.

Hinata's POV 

I closed the back door to my house after me and I sighed. What a day. Me and my vampire boyfriend got into a fight, and then I find comfort in a vampire hunter who _like _likes me. Fabulous.

"Hinata!" Hanabi smiled at me from the kitchen counter with oven mitts on her hands. "Hinata, you've gotta try this!" She held up something resembling green bubble gum that had already been chewed.

"What is it?" I asked.

Neji came into the kitchen and grinned. "Her latest creation. And she needs a guinea pig."

"You've been cooking again?" I mentally shivered. There was nothing scarier than my little sister cooking.

"Huh?" Hanabi looked at her hands. "Oh! Nah, the oven mitts are just for show! I made this with my bare hands." She moved forward and put it in my hand. It felt sticky. "I call it a Sour Chewy!"

I stared at it as she waited for me to try it. I looked up at Neji, mentally asking him if it was edible. He nodded.

I popped the entire thing in my mouth and sucked on it. After about a few seconds, it felt like my face was going to fold in half. Too… sour…

I looked at her and said, with a hoarse voice, "not bad."

She smiled and ran off, a fresh one in her hand for our father to try.

"Why do you keep encouraging her?" Neji sighed just as my eyes began to water.

"She'll need to learn to cook by the time we leave for college," I replied, getting a glass of tap water and downing it in only a few gulps.

Neji began cleaning up the miscellaneous bowls they had used to "cook" with. "That may be, but if you keep telling her that what she cooks is good, she'll never get any better."

It was my turn to sigh. "Besides," Neji continued, "You should get a jump on that before your father does it for you."

I almost snorted. "You and I both know Father wouldn't do that. He favors Hanabi in a way you and I could only dream of." I leaned towards him and whispered, "As strict as he is, his soft spot will always be Hanabi."

"You've got a point there," Neji said as he carried the dishes over to the sink to be washed.

"I'm gonna go get started on my homework now," I said, walking past him without waiting for a reply.

***

I sat at my desk, ignoring the homework in front of me, and thought about earlier. I never thought I'd ever be in a relationship, let alone a love triangle. Gaara plus Sasuke plus _me_ equals love triangle. I sighed. This sucked. With a vampire council possibly after both me and my boyfriend, you'd think the universe would give us a break…

Suddenly, I heard something tap on my window, causing me to jump. I looked at my window, but nothing was out there- nothing that I could see anyway. I strolled over to the window and looked through the glass. Nothing. I opened it up wide enough so I could lean out. I looked left. Nothing. Right. Noth-

"Hey."

I almost shrieked _and_ almost fell out through my window. Sasuke was sitting on one of the high branches of the tree by my window (the same tree that Father wanted to get cut down as soon as possible so boys wouldn't be able to get in through my window), grinning at me.

"Don't do that!" I hissed at him, more shocked than angry.

Sasuke cocked his head to the side. "Do what?" he asked, innocence in his tone.

"Sneak up on me!"

He began walking the length of the branch towards me. "I didn't sneak up on you- I knocked." His eyes glittered with amusement.

I sighed. "Why can't you use the door like everyone else?"

"But being normal is soooo boring. Abnormality is fun. Keeping it a secret is the best part."

That threw me off. "Huh? How?"

Sasuke paused in his walking. The part of the branch that he was standing on looked about as think as one of my arms (if it was as strong as my arms too, it was a miracle that it didn't break). "Well," he said, "Since it's a secret, hardly anyone knows about it- and the less that know about, the less anyone will consider doing it. Abnormality wouldn't be abnormality if everyone was to do and have the same gifts we do. See what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Besides," he said, neatly crawling through my window as he spoke, "if I'd used the front door, I would've bumped into your family before you had allowed me to."

I gulped. My family… What would Father think?

"That reminds me…" Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down at her. "When _do_ I get to meet them?"

_Never,_ Hinata wanted to say. "Um, h-how about tomorrow night?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "So soon?"

"Sure, why not?" I smiled at him, trying to make the worries flying through my mind cease.

"Hmm…" He starting playing with my hair, sifting and curling it around his fingers.

"What's wrong?"

"You seem tense." He smiled. "Perhaps some encouragement is in order?" He bent down and kissed her on the lips. Warmth flooded her body. _So soft_, _and warm, and_-

"Hinata!" My father yelled from behind my door, causing us to break apart. "You have chores to do."

I sighed softly in exasperation. I looked up at Sasuke, who seemed to be oddly at ease. "You should go on and do your chores- we'll want him in a good mood if I'm going to meet him tomorrow," he said, a small smile on his face.

"I suppose so…" I trailed off, not wanting him to leave.

"Until tomorrow, my hime," he kissed my forehead and was gone in a flash. The only evidence that he hadn't just disappeared into thin air was the fluttering curtains of my open window.

"Hinata!"

"Yes, Father!" Hoping that I could somehow get Father into a good mood -something I haven't achieved in years when Hanabi could do it daily- I left my room to do my chores.

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A/N: Phew! Sorry about the long wait guys. Between high school and my computer getting viruses (again) I haven't been able to update my stories as much as I used to. But if all goes well, I'll be able to update this and my other stories as much as possible! =)

Thanks for reading (and your patience)- ~Anaghia~


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hello- welcome to the fifteenth chapter of A Vampire's Kiss! Sorry for the long wait- I'm doing my best to update as much as I can.

**Disclaimer: I do **_**not**_** own Naruto or any of its characters in any way! ENJOY!!! =D**

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Hinata's POV

_Okay, pasta's on the stove, chicken's in the oven…_

How much time would there be before Sasuke arrived again? I glanced up at the clock again for the hundredth time. 6:30 PM. He'd be here in an hour. _Only an hour before he meets Father?!,_ I thought anxiously, _Oh my God!_

I busily bustled around the kitchen to tend to the seasonings and sauces, check on the chicken and the pasta. "Hinata?"

I jumped and looked towards the doorway. Hanabi was standing there, observing me with a somewhat innocent interest. "Oh, Hanabi…" I sighed, "please don't sneak up on me like that, especially when I'm cooking."

"Why are you so jumpy today?"

_Because Sasuke is coming over to meet our father- our stubborn, hard-to-please father_. But of course I didn't say such a thing. Instead, I said, "Jumpy? I'm not jumpy- I'm always like this…"

My little look-alike tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at me. "Is it because of that boy who's coming to eat dinner with us tonight? He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

I could feel my face heat up, so I turned around to avoid her seeing me blush- proof that she was right. "No… and w-what do you mean by 'us'? You're spending the night over your friend's house, remember?"

"I knew it! It _is_ that boy! Is he cute? Does he have a younger brother??" Hanabi sounded hopeful.

"I-I…." I trailed off, not even knowing Sasuke _did_ have a younger brother.

"Wait…" she said, her voice low, "Why are you making him meet Father? Are you trying to make it so that you'll never see each other again- or possibly get the both of you _killed_?"

"Hanabi!" I squeaked, "P-please don't say that! I'm already under a lot of pressure as it is."

"But you _know_ how Father is about meeting our friends! If they don't meet his expectations- not ours, but _his_- then they'll be kicked to the curb!"

A chill ran through me at the thought of not being able to be seen in public with my own boyfriend. Sneaking around wasn't an option, because, not only was I too obedient to do so, Father knew a lot of people (since he was apart of a huge company and all). Hanabi and I even believed that at some point he had us followed whenever we went out.

"I'm confident that Father will be fond of him," I said, certainly sounding a lot more confident than I felt.

My sister eyed me with suspicion. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that," she said, leaving out of the kitchen, "keep telling yourself that- I'm sure you'll start to believe it, eventually."

My shoulders sagged as I leaned over the counter. Was Hanabi right? Would Father really disapprove of someone so perfect? I gulped.

"Mmm." I heard Neji walk in, sniffing at the air. "This _can't_ be Cousin Hanabi's cooking- what're you making, Hinata?"

I turned around. "Um, ch-chicken parmesan."

"Uncle's favorite, huh?" A knowing smile played upon my older cousin's face. "Just what are you trying to get him in a good mood for?"

"I'm surprised Hanabi hasn't told you," I tell him as I go to the stove to stir the sauce, "I'm having a friend over for dinner."

His eyebrows shot up. "A friend? What friend?"

Here we go. "Someone you probably don't know," I said simply.

"Name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

My cousin's face was unreadable. "Sasuke, huh?" He leaned against the kitchen wall by the door, clearly a little bit aggravated. "You know, I've been hearing that you and… _Sasuke _have officially become girlfriend and boyfriend."

Of course he had heard. That was the downside to your older cousin being a senior at your high school- they're at the top of the social class, and they hear _everything_. Instead of replying in a way that I might've regretted later, I just kept my head down and stayed silent.

"Hinata, not only will Uncle _kill_ you for just having a boyfriend behind his back, he will kill you for _having _Uchiha as a boyfriend."

My head snapped up at this. Neji was starting at me intently, as though he was trying to figure me out. "He's not… not your type."

"What do you mean 'not my type'?" I inquired, putting my hands on my hips. This was the second time someone had told me something like this in the last forty-eight hours, and it was starting to tick me off.

"Take it from me, Hinata, I used to hang out with him-"

"Key word- _used_ to."

Neji glared. "Will you let me finish? I know what he's like, and he's just not for you."

"Will you people just give me a straight answer?" I shriek out at him, "_Why_, exactly, is he-" I growled the last part out through my gritted teeth- "_not my type_?!"

Neji, who was usually very calm and collective, stood up straight and quickly stole a look into the next room through the doorway. He sighed irritably and turned back to me. "Would you like to keep it down?" He hissed. "Your father is sleeping. You wouldn't want him to be upset enough to _cancel _your dinner with Sasuke, would you?"

My mouth opened, and then closed again. I glared at my cousin with the fiercest look I had (which wasn't much) and he just smirked. He knew he'd have me if he mentioned that. Crap. He's good…

"W-will you be joining us?" I ask in a civil tone.

"Of course," Neji said, as if our first conversation never happened, "if Hanabi's going to be M.I.A, then Uncle will be just as stubborn and close-minded as usual when it comes to your friend selection. It'll help if it's not just the three of you here alone."

I turned the burner under the pot of sauce off and continue to stir. "Just be nice to him, alright? I don't want this to be anymore unpleasant or painful than it has to be."

Neji frowned. "We'll see, little cousin, we'll see…" And just as quickly as he joined me, he left.

I slouched over the pot, groaning. How many other people live with three relatives, and not one of them supports you or cheers you up in the slightest? I haven't met any yet.

I mean, yes, my cousin and my sister had their moments (and maybe even my father- once). But it just got so tiring after a while. Especially when it came to school, my friends- but mostly my special abilities. All of them downed on me for it.

My eyes lazily drifted to the clock. _7:15?!_ Oh my God!! I stood up straight and hustled to get the rest of the dish ready, and then ran upstairs to get dressed.

***

Five minutes to 7:30, I appeared downstairs, almost completely made over. My hair is down loosely around my shoulders, leading into my purple long-sleeve shirt. Under that are my favorite pair of nicely-fitting jeans (if I do say so myself), and my whitest pair of socks (Father doesn't like people wearing shoes in the house).

I stood expectedly in the doorway of the living room, purposely avoiding Father's eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see his gaze move steadily from me to the clock on the mantel above the small fireplace. I don't dare look back at it. He hates it when people walk in late- it's the way to definitely piss him off _before_ you even meet him. I send up a silent prayer that Sasuke arrives on time.

Just then, the doorbell rang out, causing me to jump. I see a shadow in below the door leading outside. He's here.

Before I can even move towards the door to open it, Father suddenly appears behind me. "Hinata, I want to make something clear," he says, too formally to even sound like a father, "if this _friend_-" he says the word as if it's the worst word in the English language- "of yours has any bad grades, any tattoos, any piercing, has on _anything _leather, or gives me any reason to even suspect that he might be a bad influence on you, then he will not be welcome here and you will not associate with him again. Understood?"

"Y-Y…" I cleared my throat, knowing he hates it when I stutter. "Yes, Father." He nods, and backs away from me a bit.

I walk the few steps down the narrow hallway to the door, and open it. _Here we go_, I thought as I anxiously opened the door, wondering how the night was going to turn out.

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A/N: Woot! I finally got Chapter 15 over and done! Yay! Sorry for the long wait though. With all the recent stuff going on lately- computer breakdown, high school finals to study for (_crap!!_), familial matters, and the like- I haven't had much time to just sit down and type. Don't worry, Chapter 16 will be out a lot sooner than this chapter, I can tell you that. Thank you for your patience, guys! =D


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hola, hello, ni-hao, what's up? Welcome to the 16th chapter of "A Vampire's Kiss"!!!! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far! =D

**Disclaimer: I do **_**not**_** own Naruto or any of its characters, okay?!…. ENJOY!!! =D**

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Hinata's POV

I opened the door and bit my lips to keep from gasping out loud.

There was Sasuke, standing on _my_ porch- somewhere I thought I'd never see him. He was nicely dressed in his black button down shirt, well-fitting blue jeans, and shiny black shoes. His hair was as messy as always, but it looked good on him.

"Am I over-dressed?" He asked me, probably because I couldn't stop staring at him in all his perfect-ness.

"Oh, n-no! You look very handsome." I blushed, saying the inevitable.

"You don't look too bad yourself," he said, looking me over with a smile.

I blushed even more. When I finally got myself together, I grinned at him and whispered, "Since you're a vampire and all, does that mean I have to invite you in since you're not supposed to be able to trespass on private property?"

He laughed. "Nah- I proved that was a myth by coming into your room yesterday, remember?" He looked over my shoulder in thought. "But it would make me feel more comfortable and welcoming coming in."

"Okay then. Won't you please come in?" I said with a giggle.

"It'd be an honor," he told me as I moved aside to let him in. "Where's your father?" He asked, not sounding nervous at all.

"He's in the d-dining room."

We began to walk away from the door, when he paused. "Oh yeah," he mumbled. I turned to see him unlacing his shoes to take them off. I had completely forgotten to tell him that he had to take his shoes off inside! Father hated it whenever anyone tracked dirt into his home on his nice, clean carpets. If only he had seen Sasuke do that without me having to tell him- then he might be good enough to be invited into our house already…

"Lead the way?" Sasuke offered me after he'd taken off his shoes and revealed his clean white socks.

"Um, yeah, sure…" I could feel my face heat up and my heart sink as I lead him to the dinning room. What if father didn't like him? What if he forbade me from seeing him ever again, and made a point of it by seeing to it himself?

Father was seated at the head of the rectangular dinning table that was the closest to the farthest dark beige wall of our dinning room, looking the both of us over. He did a once-over once, twice, three times on Sasuke, then his eyes landed on me. His eyes were expressionless, as usual, but I'd been around him to practically feel the words in his gaze as if he'd said them aloud. _Don't disappoint me this time,_ they said. I shivered slightly.

I cleared my throat. "Father," I began, hopefully having a non-disappointment-daughter note in my voice, "this is Sasuke…" I paused for a second, thinking about what Neji had said before, making me wonder if I should tack on his last name. I decided not to unless I had to. "He's a friend from school. And Sasuke," I gestured to my father, "this is my father."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hyuga," Sasuke said, stepping forward with his hand extended toward Father. He stood up and shook it with a firm grasp and nodded at him.

"Sasuke," he said, then his eyes flitted over to me again. "My daughter hasn't mentioned you very much."

Sasuke smiled. "I'm not surprised. We just kind of showed up in each other's lives a couple of weeks ago, really."

Father raised his eyebrows. "Transfer student?"

I thought back to the days before high school again, when Sasuke and I were little and still friends. I mentally sulked because of the fact that Father didn't remember him while Sasuke said, "No. I've lived here pretty much my whole life, but Hinata and I met in one of our classes."

"Yes, I see. Hinata never was much of a talker, so I can understand that." Father let go of Sasuke's hand, sat down, and motioned for Sasuke to sit down opposite him on the other side of the table. After Sasuke sat, Father turned to me. "Hinata, go and call Neji down for dinner."

"Yes Father," I nodded and left out. So far so good.

I ran up the stairs as stealthily as I could without making a sound, and came to Neji's door. It was closed, so I knocked. After I heard him call out "come in," I turned the knob and opened the door.

Neji's room was a plain room- pale colored walls, a fluffy white carpet that didn't even looked walked on at all, a neatly-made twin-sized bed with the backboard against the wall. The only few features that were in there so you could find out someone was living in there was a large poster of the yin-yang symbol on the far wall, a desk under it, somewhat cluttered with papers and books next to the computer, and- if you opened the door near his bed- a closet full of clothes.

Neji looked up from whatever book he was reading. "What is it?" He asked, probably noting my nervous expression.

"F-father wants you to come down for dinner." I stuttered.

The corners of his mouth turned down a little, and his jaw twitched. "Is _he_ here?" He asked, icily.

"Y-yes…"

He snapped his book closed and stood up from his place on the floor against the wall. "Well, this should be fun," he muttered, throwing his book on the bed. I didn't answer, not knowing if it was for me to hear or not. He looked at me again. "Why don't you go set up everything now? I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," I responded softly, turning to leave.

"And Hinata?"

I turned around back to my older cousin. He looked serious. "If, somehow, Uncle approves your friend, know that I will not. Nor will I help him if this meeting heads south and gets ugly. Got it?"

I gulped. I wanted to run to the bathroom and heave into the toilet to relieve my now upset stomach. Instead, I just nodded and ran back downstairs to the kitchen. All of the food was ready. The chicken was in a tray that I'd put aside, the noodles were the strainer in the sink, the sauce was on the stove, and four plates were stacked on the counter.

I sorted out the plates emptied the steaming noodles onto each once, making sure Father got the most, the boys the second most each, and then me, with the smallest amount of all four. Then I topped each plate of noodles with the chicken, followed with the red sauce, and then for a finishing touch I sprinkled shredded parmesan cheese and ground spices and herbs on top. My mouth watered as I admired my own work. _This must be my best yet_, I thought as I scooped up Father's and Sasuke's plate to take them into the dinning room.

Neji was with them by then, sitting on Father's left, and leaving me the place opposite him that was closest to the door (as always). If I hadn't known my cousin as well as I did, I would've thought that everything was going well with him. He was looking at Sasuke with a smooth expression when I walked in. But I knew him. He was annoyed to have Sasuke in his home- why, I didn't know, and I intended to find out… but not at the dinner table.

"Dinner's ready," I stated, holding up the two plates. I placed the first one in front of my father, and then the second in front of Sasuke.

"It looks and smells great," he said, winking at me when my family wasn't looking. I blushed, thanked him with a shy smile, and then retreated to the kitchen again to get Neji's plate.

"Would any of you like anything to drink?" I asked, putting Neji's plate down in front of him.

"A glass of water would be nice," Father said.

"Make it two, please," Neji insisted, but from his look, he looked like he needed a few shots of hard liquor.

"Nothing for me," Sasuke smiled, a secret meaning hidden in its depth. _Of course_, I thought as I went to get the drinks.

***

After all the drinks were brought, and I'd brought in my own plate and a glass of grape juice on my fourth trip into the kitchen, the entire table was finally settled. I sipped on my juice nervously while looking around the table, hoping that someone would end the silence.

"So, Sasuke," my father said after taking a swig of water, "how is the school year going for you?"

"Pretty well, I'd say," Sasuke said, twirling his pasta around his fork.

"Any extracurriculars?"

"Not at the moment."

"Mmm," Father eyed me. I gulped. He always wanted my friends to be well-rounded. I should've told Sasuke about that.

Another silent spell fell on everyone for a few moments. Then Sasuke cleared his throat. "You have a nice house here. Very well-kept," he said, but not without me catching a hint of awkwardness in his voice.

"Thank you," Father said, drinking up the complement as if it was his glass of water. Neji snorted quietly, as if to say "that was so lame- couldn't you do any better than that?, but he calmed down after Father's cool gaze shifted over to him.

The conversations afterward went on pretty much the same- awkward, broken bits. I only really spoke when I asked anyone if they wanted seconds or refills. And after everyone had had their fill (I had no idea if Sasuke did or not, since there wasn't any blood after all), I took the dishes into the kitchen and put them in the sink, ready to be washed after Sasuke left.

Before I got the chance to run in and retrieve the rest of them, Sasuke came in, carrying the rest of the dishes with him. "Thought you might need some help," he winked at me as he put them down on the counter.

"Th-thank you," I stuttered, momentarily stunned by him. _Why must he be so perfect?_

He stepped closer to me, making me blush (again) what felt like a deep shade of pink. Running a hand through my hair, he asked, "Why are you so overly obedient here?"

That was the last thing I expected to escape his perfect lips. "I-I… my father…" I trailed off. It was hard to get anything together when I was in his presence- especially like that.

"This is your home. You should be free to be _free_, here," he whispered to me, frowning.

"I-I mustn't disappoint him." My heart was beating erratically as his face got closer.

"By being yourself?" He paused, his face less than two inches from mine, "You should be able to be yourself anywhere- especially here, of all places. Any place where you can't be yourself is a prison."

I played it safe by staying silent and averted his glare, which was hard seeing as he was so close. Instead of responding, I stared at his neckline- which wasn't hard since he was taller than me.

"Hinata," he said. I didn't look up. "Hinata," he said again, with more authority, but also pleadingly, "look at me."

I looked up. His eyes looked sad. "One day, I will take care of you. I will get you out of here so you can spread your wings." He smiled at the irony, and so did I.

"You promise?" I asked, my lips aching for his.

"I promise," he whispered as his lips began to brush against mine.

"Oh my God." A new voice caused us to break apart abruptly. In the doorway stood Neji, the cousin of mine who has _the worst_ timing anyone could possibly have. He looked dumbfounded and angry. I could only brace myself for whatever he had to say.

"N-Neji…" I started, but not before he marched over to Sasuke and sized him up next to me. They were about the same height, but my cousin had always had the power to make anyone who dared to challenge him shrink down and practically become a mouse. But Sasuke didn't even seem afraid- he just looked annoyed.

"Stay away from my cousin," Neji growled at Sasuke, "I don't care if my uncle gives the all-clear on you or not- you are not welcome here, and never will be. If I ever see you around here again-"

"That is _not_ your decision," Sasuke said coolly, his tone making me shiver. I thought I even saw Neji flinch a bit, but I wasn't sure. "It's Hinata's decision, and hers alone."

Neji's face grew red with anger, but before he could start a shouting match, Father walked in. He took in the situation before him before Neji cooled down and stepped away from Sasuke and towards me. Hoping that he didn't have any particular thoughts about it, I quickly intervened. "Father, it's almost time for Sasuke to get going now," I said, throwing a "sorry about this" look his way. "He and his brother are attending a…" _Attending a what???_

"A college night function," he said, saving me. I only just held in my sigh of relief.

Father raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. "I see," he said thoughtfully, "most teenagers your age would be out partying or doing something illegal, but attending a college night function? A rarity, if I do say so myself. That's very wise of you, Sasuke."

"Thank you, sir."

"Come," Father said, gesturing toward the hallway, "let me show you to the door."

Sasuke followed after him, and I began to, but Father turned around and said, "Hinata, could you begin the dishes?"

Crap. I knew what he was doing. He wanted Sasuke to himself for a final exam, without me to intervene. "Yes, Father," I said, my throat beginning to dry out.

After the two left the room, Neji turned on the water for the sink, then turned to me, arms folded. "I don't care what Uchiha says," he said with frightening authority, "it is _my_ decision. You will not continue to see him."

"But _why_?" I said. Annoyance was bubbling inside my chest. "Why? You aren't giving me any reason not too, therefore it's not valid. Besides, haven't you ever heard of 'ex post facto'?"

Neji's anger only flared at my spoken rebellion. "I don't have to explain anything to you. You understand nothing."

"That's because you're not _telling me anything_." I turned toward the sink, poured in the soap, and furiously began scrubbing the first plate as the water continued to run.

"All you need to understand is that that guy is bad news. He could get you _killed_."

I froze at this. Did he know Sasuke's secret? I turned to him, his stern look piercing me, making me want to run for my life. You could tell that his father and my father must've been brothers- where else could he have inherited that look from?

"Hinata." Father entered the kitchen again. He gestured for me to follow him. I turned off the water and followed obediently, intentionally avoiding my cousin's hard glare.

"Your friend Sasuke is very… interesting." He told me as we came to a stop in the middle of the hallway.

"Yes, he is," I agreed, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

He stood there, staring at me with a look I could understand. I dropped my gaze as he scrutinized me. Then he said, "If I let you continue to be friends with this boy, will your grades drop?"

"No, Father."

"Will I get a call from the police at any time during the day?"

"No, Father."

"Will I end up with a grandchild too early?"

I blushed furiously at the last question, but I managed to again say, "No, Father."

A pause. I chanced a look up. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. His expression was borderline. "Then I suppose I have no reason to not allow you to continue to see him."

The inner me jumped and whooped at this, but the physical me kept my composure so as to not push anything. "Thank you, Father," I bowed to him formally.

"You may now continue with washing the dishes," he said as he began to walk toward the living room and his favorite chair.

"Yes, Father," I said after him as I walked back to the kitchen, overjoyed at his approval- despite Neji's attitude and clear dislike of Sasuke. Father didn't know he was my boyfriend. _Hopefully it will stay that way_, I thought.

* * *

A/N: And that's a rap! Ah, feels good to finally get this chapter out. Sorry about the wait folks. With track in full season now, I'm tired as hell when I get home, and I barely have enough energy for chores or homework- let alone writing chapters for my stories. But don't worry- I'm definitely not giving up on this story, I can promise you that. Look out for Chapter 17. See ya later!! =D


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